Should the death penalty exist? For those of you who don’t know what the death penalty is, simply put, it’s when someone is put to death by the state as punishment for a crime. At rst glance, this may seem extreme and a quite ridiculous idea, yet the death penalty is used in many countries around the world. Capital punishment is usually used as punishment for serious types of murder, yet in some countries, this punishment can be placed on someone who has committed treason, types of fraud, adultery and rape. any people agree with the death penalty as they belie!e all guilty people deser!e to be punished and that each criminal should get what their crime deser!es. "y this reasoning, if the criminal murders and is guilty, their punishment should be death. any people nd that this argument ts with their inherent sense of #ustice, yet this means that the punishment is !engeance instead of #ustice. Another argument is that if the criminal is dead, they won’t murder anymore people and therefore making the world a safer place. $he problem with this argument is that each case is di%erent and it’s hard to #udge if a certain person deser!es capital punishment. For example, the person who committed the crime could ha!e been in such an emotional state, they didn’t think about the consequences. &ometimes people deser!e second chances. $he person could instead be punished in a more suitable way and in the future, they will be less likely to commit the same crime. '!eryone has a right to li!e and e!en those who commit murder( sentencing a person to death and executing them !iolates that right. As well as this, sometimes the innocent slip through the net and people who are indeed innocent are falsely accused to be guilty and ha!e been executed as a result. )n the *&A, + - people sentenced to death ha!e been found innocent since + / and released from death row. )f the death penalty was abolished, innocent people who #ust happened to be in the wrong place in the wrong time wouldn’t ha!e lost their li!es to a misunderstanding. 0uckily, there is now steadily increasing support for abolishing capital punishment. According to Amnesty )nternational, in ay 1-+1, +2+ countries ha!e abolished the death penalty either in law on in practice. 3et there are still many countries that use capital punishment. At the moment, China executes the most people per year o!erall. )n 1--4, it was estimated that +,/+4 people were executed.
Should the death penalty exist?For those of you who dont know
what the death penalty is, simply put, its when someone is put to
death by the state as punishment for a crime. At first glance, this
may seem extreme and a quite ridiculous idea, yet the death penalty
is used in many countries around the world. Capital punishment is
usually used as punishment for serious types of murder, yet in some
countries, this punishment can be placed on someone who has
committed treason, types of fraud, adultery and rape. Many people
agree with the death penalty as they believe all guilty people
deserve to be punished and that each criminal should get what their
crime deserves. By this reasoning, if the criminal murders and is
guilty, their punishment should be death. Many people find that
this argument fits with their inherent sense of justice, yet this
means that the punishment is vengeance instead of justice. Another
argument is that if the criminal is dead, they wont murder anymore
people and therefore making the world a safer place. The problem
with this argument is that each case is different and its hard to
judge if a certain person deserves capital punishment. For example,
the person who committed the crime could have been in such an
emotional state, they didnt think about the consequences. Sometimes
people deserve second chances. The person could instead be punished
in a more suitable way and in the future, they will be less likely
to commit the same crime.Everyone has a right to live and even
those who commit murder; sentencing a person to death and executing
them violates that right. As well as this, sometimes the innocent
slip through the net and people who are indeed innocent are falsely
accused to be guilty and have been executed as a result. In the
USA, 130 people sentenced to death have been found innocent since
1973 and released from death row. If the death penalty was
abolished, innocent people who just happened to be in the wrong
place in the wrong time wouldnt have lost their lives to a
misunderstanding.Luckily, there is now steadily increasing support
for abolishing capital punishment. According to Amnesty
International, in May 2012, 141 countries have abolished the death
penalty either in law on in practice. Yet there are still many
countries that use capital punishment. At the moment, China
executes the most people per year overall. In 2008, it was
estimated that 1,718 people were executed.
