Capital punishment has been heavily debated in the media in recent months.

Assess the arguments for and against the death penalty with reference to one country.

The debate over capital punishment is an emotive and often controversial area. In the United States this debate has been ongoing throughout the countrys history and is particularly prominent during elections and when there is a controversial criminal case. In the past year there have been a number of highly controversial decisions that resulted in the execution of prisoners. These cases reignited public debate over whether capital punishment is acceptable in 21st century America. In order to evaluate the relative merits of the opposing viewpoints it is necessary to identify the arguments put forward by both sides. This essay will examine the arguments for and against the death penalty and attempt to evaluate their strengths. One key argument of opponents of capital punishment is that it appears to achieve very little. It is argued that the death penalty ensures that there is no chance of reformation and that it reinforces the acceptability of violence as a legitimate expression of societys will. This message, it is argued, leads to a more violent society where rules are enforced through physical violence. Those in favour of capital punishment counter that the death penalty deters criminals from committing murder and other serious crimes that fear of being executed will lead criminals to reconsider their actions. However, there is strong statistical evidence that shows that serious criminal offences are more likely in states that allow the death penalty. Furthermore, murder rates are higher in the United States than in other developed nations that do not have the death penalty. Capital punishment cannot be reversed, if a mistake has been made. This means that innocent people can be executed. Supporters of capital punishment have argued that such mistakes, whilst regrettable, are rare and that the American justice system allows for numerous appeals and retrials. However, there are hundreds of recorded cases where prisoners awaiting execution have been found innocent at the last moment and it is likely that this indicates that there are many more cases where such evidence is not found in time to save the wrongly accused person. In addition, campaigners against capital punishment point to the fact that the appeals system is overwhelmed and that many prisoners have difficulty in finding legal representation.

The debate over capital punishment is often controversial because it is, in part, a debate about morality. Opponents feel that violence is never a justifiable response and that the state should not be able to kill citizens. Supporters, however, argue that some crimes are so horrific that execution is the only reasonable response. It is argued that the victims of crime and their families can receive satisfaction or peace through the execution of the criminal responsible for their loss. Smith (2001) correctly states that this is simply a call for revenge rather than justice and argues that in a civilised society the correct response to murder should never be more murder. There is no evidence to show that the use of capital punishment in the U.S. helps to reduce incidents of serious crime. Conversely, murder rates are higher in America than in other developed nations. It has been shown that mistakes are often made and that innocent men and women sometimes lose their lives. The main argument of supporters of capital punishment is, essentially, a call for violent revenge. It does not seem likely that most Americans would want to identify themselves as a society that promotes vengeance as a core value and, perhaps, if this argument can be conveyed more clearly, then more voters will turn against the use of the death penalty.