Should capital punishment be reintroduced in Britain?
Should capital punishment be reintroduced in Britain?
Kenny Richey is a normal man who moved to Canada in 1981, when he was just eighteen. He left to live with his American father in Ohio. In 1986, Richey was arrested and charged with arson, child endangerment, aggravated murder, and breaking and entering. He was accused of being left in charge of his ex-girlfriend's child, setting fire to the home and thus taking the life of her two-year-old daughter. Although there was circumstantial evidence to prove Richey's innocence in this case, his trial still lasted twenty years. He spent these twenty years on death row, and came within two hours of facing the electric chair. Not only has this taken its toll on Richey's youth, but also his mental state. Richey was released and returned to Scotland on 9th January 2008, following his acceptance to a plea bargain, and the arson and murder charges were dropped. Piers Bannister of Amnesty International said that Richey "has one of the most compelling cases of innocence" that has ever been witnessed. Due to death penalty laws, Richey's youth and freedom was ripped from him. This innocent man spent twenty years of life trapped on death row, with no chance of an appeal for his innocence. Richey's case isn't rare, however, and the risk of innocent people being executed is a strong argument against the return of the death penalty. There are also other issues such as changes in crime rate and deterrence, which I will look at in my essay.
The death penalty is a severe act of punishing a wrong-doer through means of death. It is an irrevocable deed which is cruel and inhumane, and one which should not even be considered in modern society. Although the death penalty was suspended in Britain in 1965, people are constantly debating its return and whether or not it is justifiable in today's society. In countries such as America, it is acceptable and welcomed by many as a justifiable form of punishment. Many supporters of the death penalty are shockingly unaware of the facts and statistics of capital punishment, and ...
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The death penalty is a severe act of punishing a wrong-doer through means of death. It is an irrevocable deed which is cruel and inhumane, and one which should not even be considered in modern society. Although the death penalty was suspended in Britain in 1965, people are constantly debating its return and whether or not it is justifiable in today's society. In countries such as America, it is acceptable and welcomed by many as a justifiable form of punishment. Many supporters of the death penalty are shockingly unaware of the facts and statistics of capital punishment, and the torture which is inflicted not only on the criminal but on their relatives and friends.
Perhaps the most crucial and noticeable argument against the death penalty is the possibility of innocent people being executed. Since the carrying out of the death penalty is an irrevocable deed, there is nothing which can be done after someone has been killed if their innocence is proven thereafter. DNA evidence cannot be relied on for 100% accuracy to prove someone guilty. As far as statistics go to show, since 1973 ninety five people have been released from death row having been wrongly convicted. Had the right evidence not come to light, these ninety five people would have inevitably been killed. Despite supporters of capital punishment who claim that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime, statistics can also prove this wrong, as the crime rate is no lower where the death penalty is in place than where it has been abolished. It could also be said that the crime rate increases by brutalising the society. The risk of killing innocent people cannot be accepted in our society, due to the fallibility of our criminal justice system.
As well as being morally wrong, the death penalty is also an inhumane act of savage torture. As a modern society, we cannot allow our justice system to stoop to the level of a criminal and resort to these primitive punishments. To kill someone to show that killing is wrong is hypocritical and completely contradicts everything that we, as a nation, stand for. Even if the crime committed was extremely violent and malicious, it is unacceptable to kill someone to simply prove a point, as it does not act as a deterrent for crime. The methods of execution are barbaric and basically a form of torture in themselves. Hanging breaks the criminal's neck and can leave them in hours of excruciating pain. The lethal injection may seem the most humane and acceptable approach to execution, but it can take up to forty-five minutes for the criminal to perish, slowly and painfully. Another common method of execution used is asphyxiation. However, these methods can fail and cause the criminal exceptional pain. For example, Donald Eugene Harding suffered a horrendous death by asphyxiation. It took him ten and a half minutes to die in excruciating pain, whilst he howled and thrashed against the tight grip of the restraining straps. Cameron Harper witnessed the execution and said "obviously, this man was suffering. This was a violent death. We put animals to death more humanely". This proves how torturous these executions are. And what of the people who have to execute the criminals for a living? Surely they cannot have a clear conscience after a day's work, returning home to their families having executed four people in one day.
Additionally, the criminal's family are made to suffer when the criminal is executed; this is unjust as they have done no wrong. They will most likely be heckled by the angry public and also by the prying media. The family will also have to face the death of their loved one, and would probably rather grieve privately than in the public eye. The family may also blame themselves for the outcome of the trial, especially if they lack money and could not afford a decent lawyer. Discrimination is also a key player in deciding the criminal's fate. The court could discriminate against the defendant if they are of a difference race, religion or if they originate from a different location. Recent studies have found that in murder cases in the USA involving a black defendant and a white victim, when there were fewer than four white males on the jury, 30% of juries opted for the death penalty. However, when there were more than four white males on the jury, 70% sentenced the black defendant to death. Racial prejudice is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.
Another reason why the death penalty should not return is that, whilst in prison, many criminals change themselves for the better. There is also the possibility of rehabilitation through community service, which also benefits the whole community as well as the criminals themselves. Life imprisonment, in my opinion, seems the most fitting punishment for a murderer, as it gives the criminal time to think over their actions and the time to regret what they did and show true remorse for their actions, instead of just executing them and not making them suffer for their actions. Criminals who have acted adversely against the law should be given the chance to change themselves for the better, as everyone deserves a second chance. We cannot take their right to life away from them.
The topic of the death penalty will inevitably arise again, perhaps the next time a child is murdered, or when a terrorist atrocity occurs, however I feel that it is an inhumane, savage act which should not return to our country in this day and age. It is not within our rights to take away the life of another human being, as that is the actions of a criminal. Capital punishment is morally wrong and should remain as part of our country's past culture.
