Should Capital Punishment be completely abolished?

The first 200 words of this essay...

Should Capital Punishment be completely abolished?

Capital Punishment, which is also known as the Death Penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal, as a punishment for capital crimes, or capital offences. Almost all European and Pacific Area states have abolished Capital Punishment. However, most of the democracies in America, Asia and Africa continue to use it. The death penalty is normally employed in cases of premeditated murder, for military justice, treason, espionage, or in some countries rape, sodomy and adultery. In the year 2006, China carried out at least 1,010 executions, although sources suggest the actual figure is more likely to be between 7,500 and 8,000.

My view on Capital Punishment is that murder by the state is exactly the same as the murder committed by the criminal.

"The murder that is depicted as a horrible crime is repeated in cold blood, remorselessly" (Beccaria, C. de Traité des Pétits et des Peines, 1764)

One of the main reasons cited for the use of Capital Punishment is that it acts as a deterrent to crimes. In Britain between 1900 and the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the situation was carefully analysed. The results showed