DEATH PENALTY
The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. The death penalty, also called capital punishment, is the maximum form of punishment to which a person can be sentenced and consists in the killing of an individual, ordered by a court following a guilty verdict.
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Death penalty
The death penalty can be carried out in different ways: -shooting -hanging -decapitation -lethal injection -the gas chamber In some Muslim countries stoning is still used, which can lead to long and painful agony.
Death penalty today
Since World War II, a global trend has emerged in favor of abolishing capital punishment.In total, the death penalty has been completely abolished by 102 countries , while an additional six have done so for all crimes, except for specific situations.
Despite this shift, the death penalty remains a contentious topic, especially in countries like the United States, where debates persist. The general public opinion on the death penalty varies significantly from nation to nation. For instance, in New Zealand, 45% of the populace supports it, whereas in Norway, 75% oppose it. Generally speaking, most countries that retain the death penalty have sought more “humane” execution methods.Regardless of the changes in methods that have been adopted by many countries ,there are many people who continue to protest its use.
The history of Death penalty
Death penalty during medieval times
In medieval and later in modern Europe, the death penalty served as a primary punishment for a wide range of offenses.During this period as well, the persecution of alleged witches was widespread in Europe, and then later in the recently colonized Americas.Due to witchcraft accusation ,thousands of women were executed between the 15th and 18th centuries based on charges of witchcraft.
Other important influences
The beginning of the opposition
Cesare Beccaria was the first to pen a thorough analysis of the death penalty, and to argue for its abolition in "Crimes and Punishments" . He emphasized the counter-productivity of the death penalty, noting how it often fueled greater unrest among the population.This point and others were also noted by other influential, modern thinkers, such as Charles Dickens and Karl Marx.Their collective voices contributed to the evolving way of seeing the death penalty and the need for more humane approaches to justice.
Despite its widespread application, opposition to the death penalty emerged.In the 12th century, Moses Maimonides, a Jewish scholar, wrote that, “It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to put a single innocent man to death.”Maimonides condemned Europe's use of the death penalty, highlighting its grave injustice, which resulted in numerous wrongful deaths, and argued that this was ruining the validity of the justice system. Maimonides’ arguments gained more attraction from the 16th century onward, with the emergence of modern nation-states. In these systems, justice and the law developed more fully, and It is during this period that the prison system and police forces also started to become similar to what we have today.
Pros of death penalty
There are many pros of the death penalty: It is thought that the death penalty should not be abolished because it is a tool that contributes to lowering the crime rate.
It is an important tool for preserving law and order, deters crime, and costs less than life imprisonment. The retribution honors the victim, helps console grieving families, and ensures that the perpetrators of heinous crimes never have an opportunity to cause future tragedy.
Proponents who argue that the death penalty is a deterrent to capital crimes state that such a harsh penalty is needed to discourage people from murder and terrorism.
Arguments against Death penalty
3 It doesn’t deter crime
1 It's inhuman
For those who believe executions can be performed “humanely” ,there’s still the problem of botched executions. Studies indicate that approximately 3% of executions in the US between 1890 and 2010 experienced complications.
The Death Penalty Information Center has information showing that states without the death penalty have a consistently lower murder rate than states with the death penalty. Since 1990, the gap has increased. An analysis conducted in 2020 revealed that 9 out of the 10 states with the highest murder rates during the pandemic were ones with the death penalty, while 8 out of 11 states with the lowest pandemic murder rates had abolished capital punishment.
2 It inflicts psychological pain
Although the death penalty inflicts intense physical suffering ,the time spent on death row can inflict psychological pain, as well. In the United States, death-row prisoners often spend more than ten years awaiting execution or appeals.This can cause what some experts call “death row syndrome,” which makes prisoners suicidal and delusional.
4 It can’t be reversed in light of new evidence or errors
What makes the death penalty distinct from life in prison is that the judgment can’t be reversed if new evidence is discovered. A study conducted in 2014, analyzing data from all death sentences handed down between 1973 and 2004, estimated that approximately 1 in 25 individuals sentenced to death were likely wrongfully convicted.
The dealth penalty in the world
The death penalty still exists in the world and is practiced in 53 states worldwide including: Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, USA, Iran, Iraq, Japan, China, North Korea, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam and United Arab Emirates. The only industrialized and free countries in which the death penalty is applied are Japan and the United States of America.
The countries with the highest number of executions are Iran, Iraq, Egypt and Saudi Arabia: the punishment is applied with cruel methods such as lethal injection, the electric chair and the gas chamber.
Death sentences in China are the highest compared to the rest of the world.
Our opinions about death penalty
Alessio's opinion
In my opinion the death penalty is wrong for several reasons. First, the fact that an execution is irreversible means that any judicial decisions cannot be corrected once a person has been executed. Given that it is very likely that errors may be made during the processes, this risk is unacceptable.
Furthermore, there is concrete evidence that the death penalty does not work as an effective deterrent against crime, even according to the data, states without the death penalty often have lower murder rates than those that apply it. In my opinion, a better punishment would be life imprisonment since it can ensure public safety without having to kill someone.
Giada's opinion
I don't agree with the death penalty because many times people die who are not guilty and who are actually innocent.
In conclusion, in my opinion the death penalty does not bring any benefit to the community, because instead of addressing the problem at its root, it eliminates it for a few moments without educating others not to make the same mistake. We must remember that killing is always wrong, even when it is the law that kills.
Giada Masiero, Alessio Beggio.
Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, Central African Republic and Sierra Leone have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe for common crimes.
As of the end of 2022, 112 states had abolished the death penalty for all crimes and another nine states had abolished it for common crimes.
CURIOSITIS Crimes that are punishable by death are known as capital crimes or capital offences and vary depending on the jurisdiction, but commonly include serious crimes against a person, such as assassination, mass murder, aggravated rape, terrorism, aircraft hijacking.
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DEATH PENALTY
The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. The death penalty, also called capital punishment, is the maximum form of punishment to which a person can be sentenced and consists in the killing of an individual, ordered by a court following a guilty verdict.
CLICK HERE
Death penalty
The death penalty can be carried out in different ways: -shooting -hanging -decapitation -lethal injection -the gas chamber In some Muslim countries stoning is still used, which can lead to long and painful agony.
Death penalty today
Since World War II, a global trend has emerged in favor of abolishing capital punishment.In total, the death penalty has been completely abolished by 102 countries , while an additional six have done so for all crimes, except for specific situations. Despite this shift, the death penalty remains a contentious topic, especially in countries like the United States, where debates persist. The general public opinion on the death penalty varies significantly from nation to nation. For instance, in New Zealand, 45% of the populace supports it, whereas in Norway, 75% oppose it. Generally speaking, most countries that retain the death penalty have sought more “humane” execution methods.Regardless of the changes in methods that have been adopted by many countries ,there are many people who continue to protest its use.
The history of Death penalty
Death penalty during medieval times
In medieval and later in modern Europe, the death penalty served as a primary punishment for a wide range of offenses.During this period as well, the persecution of alleged witches was widespread in Europe, and then later in the recently colonized Americas.Due to witchcraft accusation ,thousands of women were executed between the 15th and 18th centuries based on charges of witchcraft.
Other important influences
The beginning of the opposition
Cesare Beccaria was the first to pen a thorough analysis of the death penalty, and to argue for its abolition in "Crimes and Punishments" . He emphasized the counter-productivity of the death penalty, noting how it often fueled greater unrest among the population.This point and others were also noted by other influential, modern thinkers, such as Charles Dickens and Karl Marx.Their collective voices contributed to the evolving way of seeing the death penalty and the need for more humane approaches to justice.
Despite its widespread application, opposition to the death penalty emerged.In the 12th century, Moses Maimonides, a Jewish scholar, wrote that, “It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to put a single innocent man to death.”Maimonides condemned Europe's use of the death penalty, highlighting its grave injustice, which resulted in numerous wrongful deaths, and argued that this was ruining the validity of the justice system. Maimonides’ arguments gained more attraction from the 16th century onward, with the emergence of modern nation-states. In these systems, justice and the law developed more fully, and It is during this period that the prison system and police forces also started to become similar to what we have today.
Pros of death penalty
There are many pros of the death penalty: It is thought that the death penalty should not be abolished because it is a tool that contributes to lowering the crime rate.
It is an important tool for preserving law and order, deters crime, and costs less than life imprisonment. The retribution honors the victim, helps console grieving families, and ensures that the perpetrators of heinous crimes never have an opportunity to cause future tragedy.
Proponents who argue that the death penalty is a deterrent to capital crimes state that such a harsh penalty is needed to discourage people from murder and terrorism.
Arguments against Death penalty
3 It doesn’t deter crime
1 It's inhuman
For those who believe executions can be performed “humanely” ,there’s still the problem of botched executions. Studies indicate that approximately 3% of executions in the US between 1890 and 2010 experienced complications.
The Death Penalty Information Center has information showing that states without the death penalty have a consistently lower murder rate than states with the death penalty. Since 1990, the gap has increased. An analysis conducted in 2020 revealed that 9 out of the 10 states with the highest murder rates during the pandemic were ones with the death penalty, while 8 out of 11 states with the lowest pandemic murder rates had abolished capital punishment.
2 It inflicts psychological pain
Although the death penalty inflicts intense physical suffering ,the time spent on death row can inflict psychological pain, as well. In the United States, death-row prisoners often spend more than ten years awaiting execution or appeals.This can cause what some experts call “death row syndrome,” which makes prisoners suicidal and delusional.
4 It can’t be reversed in light of new evidence or errors
What makes the death penalty distinct from life in prison is that the judgment can’t be reversed if new evidence is discovered. A study conducted in 2014, analyzing data from all death sentences handed down between 1973 and 2004, estimated that approximately 1 in 25 individuals sentenced to death were likely wrongfully convicted.
The dealth penalty in the world
The death penalty still exists in the world and is practiced in 53 states worldwide including: Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, USA, Iran, Iraq, Japan, China, North Korea, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam and United Arab Emirates. The only industrialized and free countries in which the death penalty is applied are Japan and the United States of America. The countries with the highest number of executions are Iran, Iraq, Egypt and Saudi Arabia: the punishment is applied with cruel methods such as lethal injection, the electric chair and the gas chamber. Death sentences in China are the highest compared to the rest of the world.
Our opinions about death penalty
Alessio's opinion
In my opinion the death penalty is wrong for several reasons. First, the fact that an execution is irreversible means that any judicial decisions cannot be corrected once a person has been executed. Given that it is very likely that errors may be made during the processes, this risk is unacceptable. Furthermore, there is concrete evidence that the death penalty does not work as an effective deterrent against crime, even according to the data, states without the death penalty often have lower murder rates than those that apply it. In my opinion, a better punishment would be life imprisonment since it can ensure public safety without having to kill someone.
Giada's opinion
I don't agree with the death penalty because many times people die who are not guilty and who are actually innocent. In conclusion, in my opinion the death penalty does not bring any benefit to the community, because instead of addressing the problem at its root, it eliminates it for a few moments without educating others not to make the same mistake. We must remember that killing is always wrong, even when it is the law that kills.
Giada Masiero, Alessio Beggio.
Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, Central African Republic and Sierra Leone have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe for common crimes. As of the end of 2022, 112 states had abolished the death penalty for all crimes and another nine states had abolished it for common crimes.
CURIOSITIS Crimes that are punishable by death are known as capital crimes or capital offences and vary depending on the jurisdiction, but commonly include serious crimes against a person, such as assassination, mass murder, aggravated rape, terrorism, aircraft hijacking.