Jodi Arias Requests Death Penalty After Guilty

Verdict
Convicted first-degree murderer Jodi Arias told
reporters that she preferred the death penalty
over a long life in prison.

Jodi Arias referred to the death as "the

ultimate freedom" and suggested that she
would prefer the death penalty to a life in
prison. Whether those are her true feelings or
simply an attempt to use reverse psychology
on the Arizona legal system is anyones
guess. Its probably most likely that Arias will
be sentenced to death, but shell likely wait
many years for the sentence to be carried
out. She has already been placed on a suicide
watch and is expected to remain under close
supervision for the duration of her
incarceration.
Arias was convicted of the brutal first-degree
murder of her boyfriend, Travis Alexander.
Alexanders body was found after he was
stabbed 30 times, shot in the forehead and

had his throat slit by Arias. Arias admitted to

lying to police repeatedly both before and
after her arrest, but claimed that the wild
tales she spun while on the witness stand
were all true. Jurors took 15 hours to deliver
their guilty verdict and the multi-phase
sentencing portion of the proceeding will
begin in the coming weeks.
Even though Arias was convicted of firstdegree murder, a new trial will be held to
determine whether the crime was especially
"heinous and cruel". If Arias crime is deemed
to meet that criteria, then a final proceeding
will be held to determine whether she is
sentenced to death. Considering that she
seems to prefer the death penalty, as many
convicted murderers do, it will be interesting
to see how the Arizona justice system handles
their high profile convict.
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/jodi-ariasrequests-death-penalty-after-guiltyverdict.html
Death Penalty Pros
Death penalty pros and cons have always
been a matter of debate. While many are in

favor of capital punishment, others still show

compassion and mercy on the criminals,
thinking that a human still resides in the
monster that killed many souls. This article is
for those who are willing to know why death
penalty is justifiable.

"Capital punishment is as fundamentally

wrong as a cure for crime, as charity is wrong
as a cure for poverty." ~ Henry Ford
The question, whether death penalty is
justified or not, has been under debate for
ages. The practice of criminals being brutally
punished to death has been traced in ancient
history, as well. Speaking of the scenario
today, death penalty pros and cons are

evident in the laws of the United States,

where 13 states (Iowa, Alaska, District of
Columbia, Maine, Hawaii, Michigan,
Minnesota, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
North Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and
Wisconsin) in the country, do not support
death penalty! Every coin has two sides, the
only thing that matters, is which side
according to us is more apt. Before I start
vouching in favor of capital punishment, let us
have a look at some real life cases wherein
the life of one criminal led to the death of
many innocent victims.
Death Penalty Cases with a Second Chance
Mentioned below are a few real-life cases of
crime, wherein the law showed mercy on the
accused; however, the accused, in turn, did
not show any mercy on the victims.
Case 1: Katy Davis noticed three strangers
outside her apartment in Austin, Texas.
Troubled, she went away from there only to
come after the strangers had left; however,
when she came back, she was attacked by
Charles Rector, who committed a murder

previously and was on parole. Katy was forced

to open the door, and after ransacking her
apartment, she was abducted by the men to a
lake where she was beaten mercilessly, gangraped, shot in the head, and continuously
forced underwater until she finally drowned
and died.
Case 2: Mildred Weiss, a mother of two, was
murdered by Robert Massie in 1965 in San
Gabriel, Calif. Massie testified against his
accomplice just hours before his execution;
and therefore, his punishment was commuted
to life imprisonment. However, he somehow
got a second chance and was paroled only to
rob and murder a business person named
Boris Naumoff in San Francisco eight months
after he was paroled. So much for a second
chance!
Case 3: Jeffrey Barney, raped, sodomized, and
strangled Ruby Longsworth to death in
Pasadena, Texas. The reason being that Ruby
called Barney "a bum". Interestingly, Ruby
had met Barney through a prison ministry,
and had helped him get paroled, as he was
involved in an auto theft sentence. That is

how the kindness was returned ... by

strangling and raping her to death.
The list of such stories can go on and on! All
these murders shouldn't have been
committed, if these murderers were
sentenced to capital punishment in the first
place! On that note, many people consider
capital punishment to be a perfect example of
the saying, "An eye for an eye makes the
whole world blind!" However, in reference to
the cases mentioned above, I do not think
that this statement stands true! On the
contrary it reminds me of the saying, "If your
eye causes you to sin, pluck it out!" Although,
this quote wasn't written in this context, it
somehow just entered my mind. Coming back
to the point, there are cases where a criminal
can change, but, it makes no sense to me, to
put thousand lives at stake to save the life of
the one criminal that "can change."
Why Favor Death Penalty?
Many people argue against death penalty,
saying that there are various cons associated
with taking the life of the accused. Here are

some cons: Firstly, it is barbaric to actually kill

a person under the authority of the state.
What difference would it make between the
criminals and the body of justice? Secondly,
killing the accused, ceases his or her chances
of improvement as a person. This is important
because many times, people involved in
murders do so under the influence of rage;
while many of them being falsely accused!
The Bible doesn't support killing, then why
should we?
Though I agree to the cons, I don't agree that
they are substantial enough to risk the lives of
many innocent people who pray everyday for
their safety and wellbeing! You see, there are
two types of criminals that exist - the ones
who commit a crime due to unfortunate
circumstances, and the ones who kill because
they don't believe it to be "a big deal". If they
have killed once, it would not be difficult for
them to kill again; the sense of guilt is absent
in most of the criminals, especially those who
have killed more than once. Which is why, I
support capital punishment, as it is important
for such criminals to realize that they are not
the master of life and death! Mentioned below

are some points that will help you take a

stand for capital punishment.
The Fear of Death: Though death is inevitable,
we all still fear it. Imposing death punishment
for brutal crimes like rapes and murders will
definitely make the criminal think twice before
committing a crime! People argue that most
murders are done in the heat of anger or
passion! But, there are also murderers who
kill professionally; many serial killers do so as
a hobby. I remember a quote said by the
famous serial killer Zodiac, "[killing] gives me
the most thrilling experience, it is even better
than getting your rocks off with a girl."
Looking at both sides of the coin, I feel that
death penalty will surely deter a person from
committing a crime. Criminals will know that
by murdering someone else, they are
preparing their own grave!
No Escape: It is easier for a person to escape
imprisonment in the long run, but no one can
escape death! We have seen in the real-life
scenarios mentioned above, wherein criminals
managed to come out of the prison, (by an
illegal escape or through a parole) only to

commit more crimes and making the innocent

suffer! That I think, is more than enough to
support this statement. I mean, why should
we let the criminal live and the innocent die?
It's Retribution, Not Killing!: Most people who
are against death penalty, say that it is just
taking revenge or killing under the name of
law! Well, I believe that life is precious and
sacred. Which is why, I think that a person
who has taken it away, must realize that by
committing this crime, he has also taken away
the right to have his own life. When I think
about the victims and their loved ones, I
believe that letting the criminal face
'inconvenience for some time in prison', would
be unfair to them. It's not the law that is
killing the criminal, he chose it with his own
actions! Capital punishment, in this case,
would give the family of the victims, a
closure.
Saving the Innocent: "If we execute murderers
and there is in fact no deterrent effect, we
have killed a bunch of murderers. If we fail to
execute murderers, and doing so would in fact
have deterred other murders, we have

allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent

victims. I would much rather risk the former.
This, to me, is not a tough call." ~ John
McAdams - Marquette University/Department
of Political Science, on deterrence.
Law Should Provide Justice: I think death
penalty issued by law, is fair in every way.
Think about it, even the victims asked for
mercy, pleaded for their lives; however, if the
criminals showed no mercy, why should the
law be merciful to the criminal? I think that
death penalty too, is lenient when it comes to
justice. At least the guilty criminals get time
to say their last words, make a will, mentally
prepare themselves for death. Did the
innocent victims get a chance to do so? If you
knew that you would be killed immediately, a
second after committing a murder, would you
kill?
Before I end this article, I would also like to
comment on one of the main argument that is
included in the debate of whether or not to
support capital punishment. Most people who
favor life imprisonment over death penalty,
say that at times, even the innocent have to

be a victim of capital punishment! Well, I

wouldn't deny this to be one of the bitter
facts; however, I would like to quote the
following in answer to this statement.
"As for the penal system, accidentally
executing an innocent person, I must point
out that in this imperfect world, citizens are
required to take certain risks in exchange for
safety." ~ Wesley Lowe
In addition to the statement above, I believe
that the technology today is capable enough
to detect, and rightfully punish the real
criminal; therefore, the chances of accusing
the wrong person, is almost negligible. If the
only reason to not favor death penalty is to
fear the execution of the innocent; well, isn't
it a risk to drive a car -- you could meet with
an accident; or, to take a flight -- there could
be a plane crash! It is sad to have had a few
such cases where the innocent were
punished, but these cases are minute when
compared to the cases where the lack of
death penalty, has been the cause behind the
killing of thousands of innocent people.
Should death penalty be abolished? You

choose!
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/death-penaltypros.html
Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment
Debates on whether capital punishment is
morally correct in a civilized society have
been going on for ages. Let's look at some
pros and cons of death sentence.

Capital punishment is the death penalty given

by the government of a country, to people
who have committed hideous crimes like
homicide, rape, etc. Death penalty has been a
way of punishing people since ages. Although
there are some countries that have abolished
death penalty from their law, there are still

many which still practice the act of killing a

person for crime. Death penalty is prevalent
in the US, Asian and Middle Eastern countries.
Some of the ways of executing criminals are
hanging, shooting, electrocution and giving
lethal injections.
People have different opinions on the issue of
death penalty given to a convict. While some
think that death penalty is necessary for
those who have committed a terrible crime,
there are others who consider it as an
immoral act that goes against the values of
humanity.
Advantages
A person who has committed a crime like
killing or raping another person should be
given death penalty, which is as severe
punishment as the act. It is said that when a
criminal is given a death penalty, it dissuades
others in the society from committing such
serious crimes. They would refrain from such
crimes due to fear of losing their lives. This
would definitely help in reducing crime rate in
society.
If a criminal is jailed, he may again commit

the same crime after being released from

prison. Giving him death penalty would make
sure that the society is safe from being
attacked by criminals. It seems to be an
appropriate punishment for serial killers and
for those who continue to commit crimes even
after serving imprisonment.
Some believe that instead of announcing life
imprisonment for the convicts, where they
would have to live a futile life behind closed
bars, it is better to kill them. It is said that
imprisoning someone is more expensive than
executing him. Rather than spending on a
person who may again commit terrifying
crime, it is better to put him to death.
Death penalty is equated as revenge for pain
and suffering that the criminal inflicted on the
victim. Some people strongly believe that a
person who has taken the life of another
person does not have a right to live.
Sentencing such a criminal can give relief to
the family members of the victim that their
loved one has obtained justice.
It is also important for the safety of fellow
prison inmates and guards, as people who
commit horrifying crimes like murder are
believed to have a violent personality and

may, in future, attack someone during

imprisonment. These reasons emphasize the
importance of death penalty for the safety
and betterment of human society. However,
there is another section of people who believe
that it is an immoral and unethical act of
violence.
Disadvantages
If we execute a person, there will be no
difference between us and the criminal who
has committed the horrifying crime of killing
another person.
Capital punishment is not always just and
appropriate. Usually, it has been seen that
poor people have to succumb to death
penalty as they cannot afford good lawyers to
defend their stance. There are very rare cases
of rich people being pronounced a death
penalty. Also, an individual from minority
communities are more likely to be given death
penalty.
Every human being is entitled to receive a
second chance in life. Putting a convict behind
bars is always a logical option than killing
him, as there is a chance that he may
improve. People who have served life
sentences are reported to have bettered their

earlier ways of living and have made

worthwhile contribution to the society.
There is also a chance that an individual is
innocent and is wrongly charged for a crime
he has never committed. There have been
cases where people were released after being
given death sentence, because they were
proved innocent. There are also cases where a
person's innocence was proved after he was
put to death. Hence, it is best to avoid
executing a person.
It is reported that there is no relation between
death penalty and crime rate i.e giving death
penalty does not decrease crime rate in the
society. Crimes are prevalent in countries
where death penalty exists and where it has
been abolished.
The question whether death penalty is a
moral or an immoral act in a cultured society,
does not have a definite answer. Whether to
give death penalty to a criminal or not, may
depend on his earlier criminal records and the
seriousness of the crime he has committed.
But, do we really have the right to take the
life of our fellow human beings?
Read more at Buzzle:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/10-pros-andcons-of-capital-punishment.html
Facts about Capital Punishment
Capital punishment or the death penalty has
always been a controversial topic, considering
its legal and moral implications. While some
claim that it is an effective way of curbing the
crime rate, others argue that it is an
inhumane and cruel method of punishment.

Capital punishment or the death penalty is

when a person is put to death by the state as
a punishment for a crime, following a legal
trial. Public opinion on the hot subject of
capital punishment has always been divided.
Many reasons have been cited in support and
against its practice. Supporters have termed it
as a crime deterrent, but those against it

claim that it does not deter crime; it only

lowers the moral levels of the government.
The implementation of capital punishment in
the US dates back to 1608, after which it has
undergone many reforms over the past two
centuries. The application of it is very rare,
mostly for aggravated murder, and it has also
been abolished in some of the US states and
territories.
World Facts about Capital Punishment
Amnesty International reports that 141
countries have, as of May 2012, abolished
capital punishment in law or practice.
China ranks highest when it comes to the
number of executions per year. While official
figures are not available, experts estimate a
number close to 2000 every year.
Iran, North Korea, Yemen, and the US carry
out the most number of executions per year,
apart from China.
Methods of execution include decapitation,
electrocution, gas chamber, hanging, lethal
injection, shooting (firing squad), and stoning.
China, India, Indonesia and the US are
collectively home to 60% of the world's

population. These are also countries that

practice capital punishment.
Capital punishment has been abolished in all
European countries, with the exception of
Belarus.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
which came into being in 1995, banned the
death penalty for people who were below the
age of 18 when the crime was committed.
Capital Punishment in the US
Capital punishment is prevalent in 33 states
currently.
The federal law allows capital punishment for
people convicted of treason, espionage, and
other homicide-related crimes.
In 2012, 43 convicts were executed in 9 states
across the US.
In the past century, more than 40 women
have been executed here. Figures as of April
1, 2012 tell us that 61 women are on the
death row.
The youngest person executed in the US was
George Stinney of South Carolina, in 1944. He
was 14 at the time of the execution.
The US Supreme Court banned the practice of
capital punishment in 1972, but it was later

reinstated in 1976. The total number of

executions since then has crossed the 1000mark.
Since 1973, 140 people were off the death
penalty for being falsely convicted.
As we move towards progress, the voice
against capital punishment is gaining
momentum. Everywhere around the world, we
hear of people trying to urge those in power
to do away with this system for its inability to
curb crime. Here are some facts that support
the movement to abolish the death penalty.
Since its inception, there have been cases
where innocent people have been issued the
death penalty. For instance, the controversial
Timothy Evans case is regarded as a major
miscarriage of justice, which eventually led to
the abolition of capital punishment in the UK
in 1965.
Capital punishments come with a hefty price
tag, and the expenses that follow are settled
using precious tax dollars. Estimates claim
that capital punishment is roughly 20 times
more expensive than a sentence of life
imprisonment without parole.
Most importantly, there is no concrete

evidence which suggests that capital

punishment actually deters crime.
Much has been said about the pros and cons
of capital punishment. Its efficiency as a
deterrent to crime is yet to be established and
whether it is a justified solution to crime still
remains a debatable issue.
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-aboutcapital-punishment.html
Capital Punishment Statistics
According to the statistics, as many as 59
countries - including the United States of
America - retain capital punishment (AKA
death penalty) as a form of punishment for
criminal activities even today. Continue
reading....

Some people argue that concepts like 'capital

punishment' don't fit in the civilized society
that we are a part of - not everybody seems
to be impressed though, and statistics on
capital punishment hint at this very fact.
Those countries where capital punishment is
deemed legal, and the executions are carried
out within a short period, have a significantly
low crime rate as compared to those countries
where this form of punishment is considered
illegal, or the process of execution takes
several years. It is the ignorance about facts
like these that has left the world divided over
the issue.
The World Perspective
As of 2008, 59 countries in the world have the
provision for capital punishment as a part of
their legal system. Among these 59 countries,
25 countries actually carry out executions
depending on the seriousness of the crime. In
terms of the death penalty executions, the
continent of Asia leads the pack with a total
number of executions that surpass the total
number of executions in the world in 2008. In

the same year, China alone had 1,178

executions to its credit, while the rest of the
world combined only amounted to 672
executions. In fact, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia,
Pakistan and the United States together
constituted for about 93 percent of the total
capital punishment executions of the world in
2008. In fact, China had the highest execution
rate in the world with 1,178 executions that
year alone. In the American continents, it is
the United States which leads the pack as far
as the capital punishments sentences and
executions are concerned.
The United States Perspective
In the United States of America, the first
person was sentenced to death in 1608, when
found guilty of spying for Spain. The Espy File
- a database of the executions carried out in
the United States, cites that 15,269
executions were carried out in the nation
between the period of 1608 and 2002. Among
these executions, Virginia recorded 1,375
executions, Texas recorded 1,152, New York
1,130 and Pennsylvania recorded 1,043
executions as of July 2007. A Supreme Court

ruling in 1972 resulted in suspension of

capital punishment for a brief period between
1972 and 1976. After the same resumed in
1976, more than a thousand people were
executed by the 37 states wherein this form
of punishment is deemed legal.
State
Executions
Texas
456
Virginia
106
Oklahoma
92
Florida
69
Missouri
67
Georgia
46
Alabama
44
North Carolina
43
South Carolina
42

Ohio
38
Other than these states, states like Louisiana,
Arkansas, Arizona, Indiana, Delaware,
California, Illinois, Nevada, Mississippi have
also recorded 10 or more executions since
1976. On the other hand, states like Kansas
and New Hampshire haven't recorded any
executions over the last 3 decades even
though there is a provision for the same
according to the law of the land. Several
states in the US have outlawed capital
punishment. These states include Alaska,
Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota,
New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode
Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, the
US Virgin Islands.
Methods of Execution
While the historical methods of capital
punishment, which included strangulation and
beheading, were quite harsh, things have
changed considerably today. Among the
various methods of execution used in the
United States, the most prominent one is

electrocution - wherein the convict is killed by

an electric shock. Other methods include the
use of lethal injection, gas chamber, hanging
and firing squad. The statistical data
pertaining to the number of executions
carried out in the United States by each of
these methods since 1976 is given below.
Method
Executions
Lethal Injections
1,033
Electrocution
157
Gas Chamber
11
Hanging
3
Firing Squad
2
Total
1,206
In some countries death penalty is executed
in complete secrecy, and that makes it very
difficult to ascertain the actual number of
executions carried out in these countries - it is

believed to be quite high though. While

human rights activists and people against this
practice argue that it is a cruel act and hence
has to be outlawed, people in its support
argue that it is necessary to ensure justice
and to make sure that our surroundings are
safe.
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/capitalpunishment-statistics.html
Reasons against Capital Punishment (Death
Penalty)
Capital punishment is a barbarian act and
remains a blot on the face of humanity since a
very long time. There are numerous reasons
against death penalty which strongly
advocate the abolishment of brutal capital
punishment.

I do not believe any civilized society should be

at the service of death. I don't think it's
human to become an agent of the Angel of
Death. ~ Elie Wiesel
Indeed, while claiming ourselves integral part
of the new civilized society, aren't we doing
injustice to our very claim by propagating the
theory of execution? Heated debate is going
on and there are people advocating capital
punishment and there are many against it. We
oppose the death penalty not just for what it
does to those guilty of heinous crimes, but for
what it does to all of us, it offers the tragic
illusion that we can defend life by taking life. Most Rev. Joseph A. Fiorenza, President,
National Conference of Catholic Bishops,
1999. Well, there are numerous reasons
against capital punishment. Before discussing
those reasons in detail, let us have a look at
its history.
History
According to the legal codes of the Hebrew
Scriptures (Old Testament) the death penalty

was inflicted on the culprits indulged in

practice of a different religion, pre-marital sex,
homosexual behavior, prostitutes, rebellious
teenagers, and blasphemy. Afterward, it also
served as the means by which rulers could
suppress their rivals.
There are 7 types of capital punishments
known to world. These are :
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Death by Hanging
Execution by Firing Squad
Lethal Injection
Gas Chamber Executions
Death by Stoning
Death by Beheading
Electrocution

All these types are of inhumane nature. The

questions that arise here - when there are
other means of punishment available today,
why we still persist with such inhumane
punishments?
Arguments Against Death Penalty
Denial of Basic Rights

According to the Humans Rights Association,

capital punishment overrules our most basic
human right - the right to life. Human life has
a fundamental value. The blessedness of
human life is denied by the death penalty. Life
is precious.
Possibilities of Error
When an individual stands for a trial, he is
convicted on the basis of the evidence against
him. There have been times wherein evidence
has been fabricated against an individual to
settle personal scores. If later investigations
find that there has been an error in judgment,
then it can release the person and
compensate him for the injustice, however, in
case of a death penalty, the jury can do
nothing apart from feeling guilty for taking the
life of an innocent.
Unfair Judgment
Generally, it is observed that capital
punishment is inflicted unduly on the poor
and minorities. If you follow the data of these
victims, you will find that the mentally ill,
poor, and people belonging to minorities form
a large chunk of the total number. You can

also notice a kind of racial discrimination

happens due to varied reasons. Because the
poor can offer very low compensation the
defense lawyers are often incompetent,
resulting in losing the case. Due to prejudice
and bias, poor people, and people from
minority sections become soft target for such
capital punishments, as unrestricted
discretion has been offered to District
attorney. If any one wants to appeal, then it
becomes a burdensome process for him often
resulting in denial of justice.
Lack of Deterrence
The purpose of any punishment should be
deterrence from repeating the same act. But,
according to the statistics available, the death
penalty has not been effective in controlling
the homicide rate. The studies have revealed
the shocking truth that executions actually
increase the murder rate. That means the
capital punishment does not deter violent
crime. According to a New York Times study,
the last 20 years witnessed 48% homicide
rate in states with the implementation of
capital punishment compared to 23% in the
states without it.

Prolonged Uncertainty
The validity to the deterrence argument is
annulled by the delays, endless appeals,
retrials, and technicalities that keeps a person
waiting for execution for years. In fact, we are
not competent enough to carry out execution.
This uncertainty and incompetence offers
another great injustice. It is itself cruel and a
form of torture.
Justifying Circumstances
Sometimes, individuals suffering from
emotional trauma, abandonment, violence,
neglect or destructive social environment
commit such heinous crimes. These
mitigating situations can have devastating
effect on their humanity. So, it is unfair to hold
them fully responsible for their crimes. It is
our social responsibility to show sympathy to
some extent.
Effects on Society
Capital Punishment is itself a premeditated
murder. This is unacceptable even it is
inflicted by state authority as it lowers the
value of life. In fact, such act can only

brutalize the society. "Revenge is essential"

can become a society attitude. By witnessing
such acts, our own mental makeup starts
believing that violence is necessary to curb
the wrongdoings.
In conclusion, capital punishment is a moral
dishonor. The mockery is that the very
civilizations that have no right to impose it,
are in particular leading the traditions of
capital punishments. The economic
malfunctions and cultural diseases in those
very societies contribute to the violence. So,
instead of inflicting capital punishment, it's
our duty to provide opportunities for all
people to accomplish a good life in a rational
culture. As Most Rev. David B. Thompson,
Bishop of Charleston, S.C. said, "Capital
punishment feeds the cycle of violence in
society by pandering to a lust for revenge. It
brutalizes us, and deadens our sensitivity to
the precious nature of every single human
life."
By Jayashree Pakhare
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/reasons-

against-capital-punishment-deathpenalty.html
Death Penalty Cons
Political sciences and legal studies have
matured from primitiveness to sophistication
regarding death penalty. Cons or
disadvantages of this capital punishments
have led to many in society questioning the
very existence of a legal system and its ability
to sentence a person to death.

Death penalty or death sentence, which in

some cases is also known as capital
punishment is an integral part of the study of
political and legal sciences. Scholars, right
from the times of ancient Greece till the
founding fathers of the United States have

made several remarks and interpretations of

the death penalties and their disadvantages.
Though there are some pros of the death
penalty, in an era where the world has started
accepting modernized, liberal and scientific
legal systems, there are equal number of
reasons against capital punishment that have
been pointed out by philosophers, writers and
several common men. Democracy, which has
become the most widely accepted form of
government, has started its progress towards
a more sophisticated society and the
disadvantages of death penalty have been
considered in order to rationalize the legal
systems even further.
About Death Penalty
In the year 2007, the state of New Jersey
banned death penalties. Why? The simple
explanation is that we have evolved even
further in the last decade. In the earlier times,
beheading and brutal killing of an opponent
by another tribal leader was one of the
historical methods of capital punishment. As
monarchy came into being, death penalties

were handed out by monarchs according to

their own will. After the introduction of legal
systems in monarchies, the judges started
handing out penalties again on their own
accord, but with the help of certain laws. In
the modern era, where the law of the lands
are dictated by the people, death penalties
are slowly being abolished and new cases are
becoming rare. To put it in simple words, let
me quote a famous writer:
"how can we kill something that has been
created by God and Nature"
Indeed many laws that have been passed are
centered around keeping a criminal alive than
executing him. There are a few cons about
death penalty and hence 15 states in the USA
have abolished execution. However, even
today - about 3,200 prisoners are on a death
row in United States, this is an important fact
about capital punishment. Furthermore, US
ranks fourth in the number of executions
every year!
Death Penalty Cons

There is a long list of cons as modern society

has come to conclusion that a death penalty
is not a final solution to brutal crime. The laws
have become less stringent in the past 50
years, due to the following cons of death
penalty.
One wide-spread notion of masses is that it is
not fair and is unethical to execute a prisoner
as he/she is also a human being. A death
penalty is not a good solution. This notion is
supported by a popular statement, 'why kill a
criminal because he has killed somebody,
what is the difference between us and them?'.
Thus the eye for an eye temperament is
slowly becoming unpopular in many
communities.
From the psychological point of view, death
penalty is not a good option as a death
penalty is considered to be a 'way out' in a
matter of few minutes for most of the
criminals. A criminal is not scared of death.
Instead meting out life sentence might create
more fear in the minds of criminals.
A bit of philosophy here, according to some
scholars and philosophers, a human being 'criminal or not' is a creation of God and it is
highly inappropriate to award a death penalty.

Terror outfits, are quite fearless in carrying out

their plots due to the fact that dying is their
objective, hence passing death sentences
makes them even more fearless. In such a
scenario, rigorous life imprisonment is a much
better option, to create fear in the minds of
terrorists.
There is also a high probability of innocent
people being hanged due to human judgment
error.
The appeals, and re-appeals also tend to cost
a lot to the government and state. As such
appeals require a lot of hard work from the
judges and lawyers, the appeal tends to be
lengthy and clogs the system.
Logically an entire life in prison is a better
punishment than a death penalty.
Every person may have different views
opinions and arguments on death penalty. So,
should death penalty be allowed or should
death penalty be abolished. That's for you to
read and opine. However, let me conclude by
saying, 'the objective of any society is to live
peacefully, let live and help to live' if we are
meting out death penalties which are, of
course violent and take away life, then we are
violating the fundamental principle of society.'

Read more at Buzzle:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/death-penaltycons.html
Death Penalty Pros and Cons
The pros and cons of the death penalty has
been a topic of debate for scores of decades.
Although several countries still use death
penalty as the most severe kind of
punishment, majority of the countries across
the globe have abolished this method of
punishment.

Death penalty is the act of killing a person via

a judicial proceeding for retribution of a
heinous crime committed, such as aggravated
murder, felony killing or contract killing.
Death penalty differs from one country to

another, one legislation to another. In

February, 2010, the top court in China called
for death penalty to be confined only to
'extremely serious crimes'. Death penalty in
China was called for even non-violent crimes
like corruption and drunken-driving cases, etc.
As of 2008, China recorded the largest
number of executions recorded with more
than half of the total 2,400 executions
recorded around the world. Death penalty
pros and cons is a topic that has been chewed
on for ages. While some say death penalty is
the ultimate denial of human rights, which in
the name of justice is actually only
premeditated and cold-blooded killing of
humans.
Then others say, that certain people earn this
ultimate punishment by committing
horrendous crimes. According to them, society
has the right to act in self defense to protect
the rights of those killed. Capital punishment
in the United States differs from one state to
another. Of the 50 states in the US, the 15
states with no death penalty are Alaska,
Hawaii, New Mexico, North Dakota, New York,
New Jersey, Maine, Minnesota, Massachusetts,

Iowa, Michigan, Rhode Island, W. Virginia,

Vermont, Wisconsin and the district of
Columbia. The methods of executions have
also varied over time, from lethal injections,
lethal gas, electrocutions to firing squads. In
2009, there were 52 executions, of which 51
were by lethal injections and one by electric
chair in Virginia. Texas was the state to have
the largest number of executions; 24.
Death Penalty Cons
Of the 192 countries of the world, more than
two-thirds have abolished death penalty. In
2009, two countries Togo and Burundi
abolished the death penalty, bringing the total
number to 139. Amnesty International USA,
an organization of more than 2.2 million
supporters from across the globe, works with
a mission to protect people denied of justice,
freedom, truth and dignity. Partnering with
another organization, Witness to innocence,
Amnesty International has come up with the
Death Penalty Awareness Week (February 26March 7), which is an awareness program
unveiling the realities of the fatally flawed
capital punishment system. Several others

also oppose death penalty as a punishment.

The reasons why myriads of people across the
globe are working towards the abolition of
death penalty are as follows:
Wrong Convictions
Since 1973, more than 130 people have been
released from death rows throughout the US,
due to evidence of their wrongful convictions.
We do not know how many people are
charged for crimes and murders they have
never committed. However, the legal system
has found some cases wherein, they have
wrongly accused the innocent. Factors such as
inadequate legal representations, police and
prosecutor misconduct, racial prejudice, jail
house "snitch" testimony, political pressure to
solve a case, misinterpretation of evidence,
etc. can work against an innocent person and
conduce to harsh death penalty.
Costs
Most of us fail to realize that executing a
death sentence is 2.5 times more expensive
than keeping the same criminal in prison for
life. This is because, the cost incurred prior to

and during the trial, involves an endless

stream of appeals, legal wrangling, etc. For
such trials, special motions and extra time for
jury selection are required. Investigation
charges also rise exorbitantly, especially by
the prosecution. Thus, spending finances on
death penalty is tantamount to reducing
essential financial and time resources needed
for crime prevention, mental health
treatment, rehabilitation, valuable victim's
services, etc.
Deterrence
The other school of thought says that death
penalty will help reduce the number of
homicides. On the contrary, statistics have
revealed that countries with death penalty as
punishment, have higher homicide rates as
compared to countries that have abolished
capital punishment. This shows that the threat
of execution in the future is unlikely to deter
people from executing the horrendous crime
under the influence of alcohol, drug, fear,
rage or mental illness. Most murders are done
in the heat of passion, wherein a person fails
to think rationally, so it's baseless to think the
fear of death penalty will reduce homicides.

Rehabilitation Failure
Putting somebody on death row does not
accomplish anything. Death penalty closes all
doors for the criminal to acknowledge his
mistakes. Family members of the convicted
may want to see the murderer punished, but
death penalty will not ease the pain caused
by the loss of the loved one. Retribution will
not pacify the pain or fill the vacuum caused
by the loss. This does not mean we are not to
punish the guilty. A life imprisonment is a
terrible punishment, amplifying the agony of
the convicted over the decades spent in
prison. Moreover, if we take away the
murderer's life, how are we different? Isn't
giving a second chance more humane?
Although lethal injects and electric chairs are
not as barbaric as medieval torture devices, it
still is taking somebody's life.
Death Penalty Pros
Precedent Server
It is believed that keeping harsh punishments
like death penalty conduce to fear in the
would-be murderer's mind pertaining to their

future on being caught. If people know they

will only face life-imprisonment, they will take
the legal system casually and commit all the
crimes they want. This increases the rate of
homicides. By instilling death penalty in the
legal system, people will not dare to murder
that easily. Thus, death penalty is considered
as an essential tool to fight premeditated
murder.
Just Punishment
Since life is so precious, the punishment for
taking somebody's life is paying the price with
your own life. Thus, death penalty is nothing
but just punishment for those who have taken
another individual or individuals lives.
Safety Concerns
A murderer who has mercilessly killed people
once, may escape from prison and end up
killing others. Life imprisonment means
chances of parole, which gives the criminal a
chance to get back at those who testified
against him. He can also take revenge from
the victim's family. This leaves the victim's
family living a life of fear all the time. Death
penalty ensures the murderer can commit no

more crimes in the future.

Excess Sympathy
The law seems too sympathetic towards the
criminal than towards the victim and his or
her family. The reason the convicted is
charged for death penalty is because he or
she has murdered somebody. Thus, there is
no room for sympathy. The criminal is only
facing the consequences of his or her actions.
The United States is one of the few countries
that still uses death penalty as a form of
punishment. According to statistics, published
by Amnesty International, 'public support for
death penalty is diminishing in the US'. Over
half of the American citizens consider life
imprisonment without parole, far more severe
form of punishment as compared to a death
penalty. Hope this article was informative and
helpful!
By Priya Johnson
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/death-penaltypros-and-cons.html

Death Penalty Statistics

The controversy over death penalty is a much
debated topic, garnering equally strong
advocacies both for and against it. The
following death penalty statistics throw some
light upon numeric details of capital
punishment that has been meted out in the
US as well as certain other countries in the
rest of the world.

Supporters of capital punishment bear a

special responsibility to ensure the fairness of
this irreversible punishment.
~ Bill Clinton
The issue of capital punishment, especially
the fairness of it, has been controversy's

favorite child for a very long time. Before we

get down to the death penalty statistics, let us
take a brief tour of the concept of capital
punishment and the debates surrounding it.
Capital punishment refers to the execution of
a convicted person by the state, following a
judicial procedure, as a punishment for a very
serious crime committed by him / her. Crimes
which qualify for capital punishment are
known as capital crimes. Different countries
have their own list of crimes that are
categorized as capital offenses punishable by
death. First degree murder is perhaps the
common capital crime which is included in the
capital offenses list of all countries around the
world. Besides this, aggravated murder,
capital murder, kidnapping inflicting bodily
injury, treason and sex crimes against minors
also find a place among capital offenses in
many countries of the world, including certain
states of the US. In many Islamic countries,
adultery is a capital offense and the convicted
offenders are stoned to death. Now, let's take
a look at both sides of the coin that is capital
punishment to objectively evaluate death
penalty pros and cons.

Arguments Favoring Death Penalty

Advocates in favor of death penalty present
two points of view. The first point of view
takes the route of justice and observes that
death of the murderer is the only justice that
can be extended to the murdered. The second
point of view takes the route of human rights
and kindness and observes that capital
punishment is better as it kills the criminal
instantly as opposed to life imprisonment
which extracts the life out of the convicted
criminal very slowly, which is more cruel than
death penalty.
Arguments Against Death Penalty
There are three points of view regarding the
reasons against capital punishment. The first
argument against death penalty is that it is
not fair of the state to murder the murderer
when it does not rape the rapist or burn the
house of the arsonist. If death penalty is
legalized on the grounds of tit-for-tat concept
of justice, then all other crimes should be
punished accordingly. The second point of
view observes that the society has no right to
take away what it cannot give back. The
murderer already committed a crime and a

mortal sin by taking a human life - how

different is the State from the murderer if it
also resorts to doling out death to the killer?
The third point of view takes a more logical
route and poses a serious question upon the
soundness of investigation and fairness of the
trial system. This point of view observes that
what if an innocent is erroneously tried and
sent to the gallows? A later realization of such
folly cannot bring back the dead!
Death Penalty Statistics in the US till Date
The following table shows the figures since
1976 till date.
Capital Punishments Since 1976
US State
1215
Alabama
1195
Florida
1214
Georgia
1191
Los Angeles
1209
Mississippi

1205
Ohio
1193
Oklahoma
1213
Texas
7
Utah
1210
Virginia
US Death Penalty Statistics 2010
The following table depicts the number of
executions performed by various states of the
US this year, till date.
US State
Executions 2010
Alabama
2
Florida
1
Georgia
1
Los Angeles
1
Mississippi

2
Ohio
5
Oklahoma
1
Texas
13
Utah
1
Virginia
2
Death Penalties in Other Countries
The following table shows the approximate
number of executions in some other countries
in the rest of the world that have been
recorded in the year 2009.
Country
Executions
China
1000+
Iran
388
Iraq
120
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

69
Sudan
9
Syria
8
Yemen
30
Vietnam
9
Egypt
5
Libya
4
Bangladesh
3
Botswana
1
Singapore
1
Thailand
2
Death Penalty Facts
Following are some disturbing death penalty
facts which make us ponder upon the validity
of capital punishment and its procedures, if
not question the fairness of it.

Maintaining and executing the capital

punishment system, in the US, is costlier than
sentencing an offender to life imprisonment
without parole. The financial burden of
maintaining the death penalty system is
ultimately borne by the citizens who are the
taxpayers.
No statistical or other evidence is there to
prove that capital punishment or the fear of it
is, in any way, effective in deterring crime.
Many innocent people have fallen victims to
the death sentence due to erroneous justice.
Whether we accept it or not, most often, race
is a major determinant of whether the
offender would be sent to the gallows or not.
Millions which are spent on executing the
murderer can be used to assist the families of
the murder victims. Such families themselves
acknowledge the fact that killing the murderer
won't heal the emotional scars of his act.
Life imprisonment without parole is an
effective alternative to capital punishment as
the financial burden is easier on taxpayers
and such a sentence keeps the offender
confined away from society.
That was a brief overview of death penalty
statistics and facts. Arguments for death

penalty and against it is fated to continue for

some more time. Should death penalty be
allowed? If it is, then it is the responsibility of
the judicial system to thoroughly ensure that
the right person is being punished. Should
death penalty be abolished? Maybe, on
grounds of social justice and irreversibility, it
should. On a concluding note, I'd like to quote
Henry Ford:
Capital punishment is as fundamentally wrong
as a cure for crime as charity is wrong as a
cure of poverty.
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/death-penaltystatistics.html
Pro Death Penalty Arguments
A compilation of some pro death penalty
arguments put forth by those who feel that it
is a necessity for a crime-free society. Read
on...

"I support the death penalty because I

believe, if administered swiftly and justly,
capital punishment is a deterrent against
future violence and will save other innocent
lives." - George W. Bush
"Courts must remember not just rights of the
criminal but also the victims." - Judge M L
Tahaliyani
These pro death penalty quotes - one coming
from the President of the United States and
the other from a judge in the Indian Special
Court, speak volumes about its necessity to
ensure that a crime-free society prevails. One
of the most controversial issues that we have
ever witnessed, it has left the world divided.
On one side, we have people armed with pro
death penalty arguments who believe that it
is necessary, and on the other, we have
people who cite numerous problems with this
practice in a bid to highlight that it is against

humanity and should be abolished.

Death Penalty - Capital Punishment
Statistics suggest that around 80 percent of
the total death sentences come from the
Asian countries - with China leading the pack
with highest execution rate in the world. Even
though, somewhere around 90 percent of the
countries have abolished death penalty, it still
continues to be one of the most controversial
topics in the world - may be because major
powers of the world continue to sentence
criminals to death or may be because human
rights organization are putting in all their
efforts to make sure that their arguments
against this practice are heard. Irrespective of
what the reason is, the fact is that capital
punishment is by far the most heated topic of
debate in the world today.
Arguments in Favor of Death Penalty
Is death penalty really a necessity for crimefree society? Does this form of punishment
really serve the purpose? If its pros and cons
are weighed, do its pros have an edge over its

cons? If the arguments put forth by people in

its support are to be believed, it's surely
necessary to do away with some of the most
heinous crimes that we often hear about.
The foremost argument put forth by the pro
death penalty activists is the fact that it
serves as a deterrent for other individuals.
The fear of death affects everybody, and
criminals are no exception. If they realize that
committing some serious crime will take them
to the gallows, they are bound to think twice
before committing any such crime. This
argument is supported by statistics which
reveal that the crime rate in countries
wherein this form of punishment still exists is
far less as compared to those countries
wherein it has been abolished.
With criminal acts - such as murder, rape,
homicide etc., becoming more and more
frequent in the society, only death penalty
can ensure justice for the victims. In most of
the cases of murder, rape or homicides, the
criminals are not first time offenders who
would get deterred by the fear of capital
punishment. Those in its support also argue
that a person who kills someone doesn't have
the right to live.

Is it justified that a person who has committed

some serious crime lives in a prison with all
the basic amenities at the cost of taxpayers
money? The cost incurred on housing inmates
who are sentencing life imprisonment goes
into millions, and awarding death penalty to
these criminals cannot just save this money
but also make sure that it is used for a better
purpose.
If individuals involved in heinous crimes such
as murder or homicides are not awarded
death sentence, people are bound to lose
faith in the judicial system. This will also add
to layman's belief that the judicial system is
more sympathetic towards a criminal than
towards the victim or society.
The most prominent of the arguments is the
fact that it ensures that we are safe from
criminals. There have been numerous
instances of criminals committing more
serious crimes when they are out on parole.
More importantly, life term doesn't ensure
that the said criminal will never commit any
such crime - something which death penalty
does, in a harder way though.
Even though these arguments sound pretty
convincing, we also need to take the

arguments against this practice into

consideration when deciding whether it is a
right form of punishment or not. With both
sides resorting to arguments and
counterarguments, it is very difficult to come
to a consensus on this issue, which only
means that the debate is only going to
intensify with time.
By Abhijit Naik
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pro-deathpenalty-arguments.html
Should Death Penalty be Allowed?
Death penalty is an issue which has a myriad
of dimensions. In the article, I will try and
unravel some of the aspects related to capital
punishment.

As on January 1998, amongst the 50 states in

the USA, 38 states and the federal
government have implemented death penalty
laws. Capital punishment as it is called
legally, is a lawfully imposed death as a
punishment for crime. Many countries in the
world have provisions for a capital
punishment in their legal system, while quite
a few do not. Consequently, the burning
debate on whether this form of punishment
must be allowed or not is an extremely
complicated issue with umpteen intertwining.
Moreover, it has created a sort of divide
between countries and across cultures.
Death Penalty - Why and Why Not
Having described the great divide regarding
the issue, it would not be a bad idea to
describe what are the reasons why some
countries support it and why some
governments do not. For starters, some of
those in favor are of the mindset that capital
punishment is important to set an example for
criminals. Jeremy Bentham, an English jurist,
philosopher, and legal and social reformer

opined with regards to punishment in these

words " The punishment suffered by the
offender presents to every one an example of
what he himself will have to suffer if he is
guilty of the same offense." Another reason
for backing a death penalty is that those who
hurt or bring harm to others have to be
punished. In some cases it also a kind of a
retribution by those who take care of law and
order on behalf of the victims.
Contrarily, the number of reason why it should
not be implemented outnumber the former.
The argument starts from killing a human
being is unethical. Another opinion is that
capital punishment is not used with discretion
especially, against the poor and racial,
religious and ethnic minorities. Further, if the
criminal turns over a new leaf through
rehabilitation, it could be good for the society.
If, God forbid, an innocent is given the
penalty, it can be immensely tragic. Finally,
the Roman Catholic Church has touted it as
not being 'pro life'. These arguments in
connection with 'should capital punishment be
allowed' really throw us in a sea of confusion.

Judicial Decision Against Death Penalty

One of the most known case dealing with
capital punishment is the Furman vs Georgia,
408 US 153 (1972). This case was a path
breaking one where the Supreme Court
slashed or rather squashed the federal and
state capital punishment laws, rendering
them as capricious and arbitrary. Ultimately,
as a result of this judgment, around 600
prisoners having been given the death
sentence had their death sentence lifted.
Later on, in the USA, Supreme Court upheld
new death penalty laws. Even in the case, the
judgment was given not because the penalty
was considered unconstitutional, but there
were some glitches in the laws aiding the
implementation of the penalty. This judgment
gave a new facet to the argument to the
debate of should it be illegal. In India,
although this punishment has been retained,
there is an unwritten rule which says that 100
criminals can be out on the prowl, but an
innocent individual should not be put under
the gallows or punished.
Can there be a Humane Capital Punishment?

Well, naysayers say that there cannot be any

sort of humanity attached with death penalty
or putting a person to death, the defense and
evidences on his crime apart. It is a simple
contention - how would anyone feel if he or
she has been told that this is the time you are
going to die. Doesn't that person have
feelings?
Coming towards the end of this article, I am in
two minds as far as this penalty is concerned.
Even after I have put across the flip sides of
the matter. What do you think? I guess we
should leave this herculean task of dealing
with this tumultuous issue to those who take
care of the law and order. But all this reminds
of something Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/should-deathpenalty-be-allowed.html
Is Death Penalty a Cruel and Unusual
Punishment?
This article shares some insights on one of the
most debatable issues - is death penalty cruel
or unusual? To know more, read on.

"Jesus Christ, whose way of life I try to follow,

refused to meet hate with hate and violence
with violence.... I cannot believe in a God who
metes out hurt for hurt, pain for pain, torture
for torture. Nor do I believe that God invests
human representatives with such power to
torture and kill." ~ Sister Helen Prejean
You may or may not agree to the above quote
as people across the world have their own
opinions and beliefs about death penalty. If
you are asking is the death penalty cruel
punishment, then well, there is no single right
or wrong answer that can satisfy every
person's point of view as it is one of the most
multifaceted disputable social issues. I would
prefer to highlight both pros and cons of

death penalty that will help you take your

stand.
Arguments For Death Penalty
Some people believe that purpose of the
capital punishment is to send a right message
to the society. Such harsh punishment implies
that no grave crime will be tolerated and the
guilty must be punished for his or her crime.
In short, according to this pro death penalty
argument, death penalty acts as a deterrent
for society and prevents further crimes.
According to some people murders committed
in the rage of anger or in a drunken state can
be still excluded from death penalty. But
people who commit crime in the conscious
state of mind have no right to live. If you
analyze the last sentences of the criminals
you would realize that they all were scared of
dying. It proves that death is the most scary
punishment they could be allotted with. And
this point makes clear that death is one of the
most scary things people fear. So other
punishments, be it life imprisonment, etc. are
milder for criminal minded people and hence
death penalty is the only way to deteriorate

their criminal motives. One of the other death

penalty pros comes from victims and families
of victims who believe that death penalty is
the only justice they could get, which is their
right and not a privilege. If you think from
their point of view, you would come across
various emotional issues that would force you
think that life for life is the ideal punishment.
Arguments Against Death Penalty
One of the biggest argument that anti death
penalty people make is, is that death going to
bring back the life of a victim, which is true.
Whatever you do with the criminal, the victim
has already suffered it all and gone probably.
As someone rightly said that to take a life
when a life has been lost is revenge, and not
justice. One of the other argument against the
death penalty is that there is no point in
punishing a criminal with death penalty as
most of the time they knew what they were
doing was wrong and they also knew the
punishment for it. The very fact that the
criminals are aware of the grave
consequences of serious crimes, they are
probably ready to face death, which is one of

the notable death penalty facts. According to

anti death penalty philosophy, criminals need
to be given a second chance to understand
their mistake. They should be kept under
government surveillance if they are really
sorry for what they did. This is one of the
strong reasons against capital punishment
that could be considered in case of juvenile
crimes or crimes committed under drug or
alcohol influence. Iowa State Supreme Court
Justice has put this thought in a simpler
manner in 1840. It says, "Crime indicates a
diseased mind in the same manner that
sickness and pain do a diseased body. And as
in one case we provide hospitals for the
treatment of severe and contagious diseases,
so in the other, prisons and asylums should be
provided for similar reasons."
I would like to conclude this write up with my
personal opinion. Well, Even I am against the
capital punishment but for the different
reasons. Not because I think the criminal has
soul and needs to be given a second chance
but I feel that death is an easy and milder
punishment for any crime. I feel that a
criminal who deserves to be killed should be

tortured mentally and physically to an extent

that he himself pleads for death, repenting for
what he did. And this is the time he will
experience death but would not get it and this
would be the biggest punishment for him.
These were some of the pro and against
argument on is death penalty cruel and
unusual punishment. If you have some other
opinions and ideas regarding capital
punishment pros and cons, then post them on
the comments box provided below. I hope this
write up helped you take your own take on
death penalty.
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/is-deathpenalty-cruel-and-unusual-punishment.html
Death Penalty Vs. Life in Prison
Death penalty, the ultimate form of
punishment that we have in our justice
system. It definitely helps in reducing crime
rates. Or does it? Is it really the best way to
do justice? Maybe. Maybe not. There is
another option, life imprisonment without
parole. Let's see how these two match up.

In recent times, the death penalty has come

under a lot of scrutiny for reasons varying
from how effective it is in reducing crime
rates, to its cost. 58 countries still actively use
it, while 96 have given it up. There are some
countries which have not used the death
penalty for at least 10 years, using it only
under special circumstances like treason
during wartime. Slowly but surely,
governments all over the world are turning to
life imprisonment as an alternative. Some
countries practice life imprisonment without
the possibility of parole, some grant a life
term of 25 years. There are factors in favor of
both sentences. Which one is better? Is it
possible to choose the better alternative? This
tricky debate has been raging for decades, if
not centuries! After all, it is the life of a

human being that is being discussed here.

Death Penalty Vs. Life Imprisonment
1. Death Penalty
Arguments For
Arguments Against
2. Life in Prison
Arguments For
Arguments Against
Death Penalty
The United States has a history of performing
executions which date back to the very early
1600s, when the first person was recorded to
have been executed for spying. Last year (in
2010), the United States executed 46 people
who had been sentenced to death. There has
also been a change in the definition of capital
crimes and, while earlier, even crimes other
than homicide were considered as capital
crimes based on their gravity, now, only
homicide crimes are classified as capital
crimes (crimes which warrant death / capital
punishment). There are cases in history where
people have been executed for stealing
horses, practicing witchcraft, as well as for

helping slaves. Quite a few people were

posthumously pardoned.
Support for the death penalty in the US is
dropping over the years, and while some
people are still for it, an increasing number
are strongly against it, and now it is used very
rarely, only in cases of aggravated murder or
felony. The rules of the death penalty and its
application also vary, depending on the states
/ jurisdictions. While there are some
jurisdictions that have completely banned it,
others are still undecided about when to apply
it, while 34 jurisdictions do not permit it at all.
There is a steady shift from the death penalty
towards the more humane life imprisonment.
Top
Arguments For:
The first and most obvious reason would be,
that the death penalty gives the family and
friends of the victim closure. The whole
process is long and drawn out, draining the
victim's close ones emotionally and
financially. The death penalty is a sort of
consolation or closure for their long suffering,
a way of closing off that horrid chapter in their

lives.
With DNA testing (99% reliable), the
possibility of sentencing the wrong, innocent
people to death, as used to happen before, is
almost completely eliminated, which prompts
many to ask, if there is no doubt that the
person convicted is guilty, why not sentence
him/her to death?
It is considered that the death penalty acts
as a very strong deterrent for criminals, that it
stops them from committing crimes and
lowers the crime rates. Prison time is enough
to stop most people, but for some people, a
stronger reason is needed. Criminals consider
their odds before taking someone's life. The
fact that most criminals who have been
sentenced to death appeal for life
imprisonment, itself shows that they fear
death more than life in prison.
Top
Arguments Against:
When the court sentences a person to
death, the person sentenced will appeal, till
he exhausts all his appeals. This whole

process of appeals is very costly, and in

almost 9 out of 10 cases, quite fruitless. It is
just a method of delaying the sentence. It
puts a strain on the economical and human
resources of the judicial system.
People who were wrongly convicted and
sentenced to death, and were later found to
be innocent, were posthumously pardoned
and declared innocent. But this makes hardly
any difference to the loved ones, because it is
not going to bring back the dead person.
Although the chances of sentencing the wrong
person have reduced to almost negligible
because of the accuracy of DNA and other
tests, it is still a possibility, and is one of the
main arguments against the death penalty.
For every death sentence there are multiple
appeals. These pile up and clog the court
system, blocking the road for other important
cases and delaying them.
If the government wants to send a message
that killing is wrong, how can it convey the
same by killing a person? Killing to convince
people that killing is wrong, doesn't sound

right, does it?

There have been many cases where the
people who were convicted and sentenced to
death were posthumously found to be
innocent. This meant that the government
killed innocent people, by mistake of course,
but caused an innocent death nonetheless.
And last but not the least, the killing of the
criminal is not going to bring back the dead.
No matter how much hate you have, how
much anger or vengeance you have, it's not
going to fill the emptiness caused by the
death of a loved one. Instead, if the person is
alive, there is a chance for him to turn over a
new leaf.
Top
Life In Prison
This sentence implies that the convicted
person has to spend the rest of his life in jail,
and depending on the rules of the country or
state, he may or may not be eligible for
parole. Which means that there are basically
two types of life sentences in the United
States - determinate and indeterminate. In a

determinate life sentence, the convicted is

sentenced to spend the rest of his life in
prison without the possibility of parole, and in
an indeterminate life sentence the convicted
is given less stringent sentences, like 20 years
to life, or 30 years to life, etc., wherein after
serving a certain amount of time in jail, he
can be let out on parole or granted a reprieve
or then his sentence is cut short to the
number of years he has served in prison
already, assuming that he has served the
minimum amount.
In the case of convicts who are below 18
years of age / juveniles, there is a possibility
of sentencing even these young people to life
imprisonment without any chance of them
being let out in the future as well. This is a
really strict practice, and many countries have
banned it, but it is still present in a few
countries including the United States. A
person sentenced to life imprisonment has to
serve a minimum period of anywhere
between 15 to 30 years in the U.S. to be
declared eligible for parole (does not apply in
all cases), and he could be pardoned or
granted amnesty by either the president or

the governor of state.

Top
Arguments For:
The cost is a very important factor when it
comes to deciding whether to sentence a
criminal to death or life imprisonment, and it
is in favor of life imprisonment. The cost of
carrying out a death sentence is more than
that of carrying out the life imprisonment
sentence by a factor of 2 to 5, some say 10,
because carrying out a death sentence
involves endless appeals, many expensive
procedures like DNA testing, and others which
drag on for years, even decades! Other
resources like time and effort are also used up
much more in case of the death penalty. So
much so, that it becomes an impractical
decision to sentence a person to death.
We as a society, need to learn to NOT THINK
in terms of "an eye for an eye". "An eye for an
eye would make the whole world blind", is
what Mahatma Gandhi said. Death as
punishment for death is not the solution.
Supporters of life imprisonment say that the
death sentence encourages a culture that is

okay with violence.

There have to be cases where the nature of
the crime has to be taken into account. In
case of what is called passion-crimes, or
crimes which are not premeditated / planned
out beforehand, it seems extreme to sentence
the person to death. Everybody has their
lows, and if the person in question (specially
juveniles), wants to change and is repentant,
then does he not deserve a second chance?
The life imprisonment sentence can be as
harsh as the death sentence, maybe harsher.
Supporters of this sentence argue that life in
prison, decades and decades of living in a
cage, in an environment of rape and violence
and being treated like animals is worse than
the death sentence. With the death sentence,
the suffering is over quickly. If the
government really wants to punish the
convicted, why not make it really count?
Top
Arguments Against:
Life imprisonment is not a good way to
ensure that the criminal doesn't commit such

crimes again. What if he/she kills someone in

the prison? Or worse still, escapes and goes
on a killing spree! Although these seem like
outlandish things to consider, they are
possible nonetheless. So, if sentencing such
dangerous criminals to death means keeping
them away from the other prisoners and
society, then it sounds like a reasonable idea.
Death penalty cases where the criminal
appeals for a reduced sentence, attracts a lot
of lawyers to defend the criminal. They do it
for the publicity. This means that there is a
chance, that the guilty will be acquitted on
the basis of some technicality or some
manipulation.
There is also the case of the government
looking more sympathetic towards the
criminal than the victim. The government
needs to send out a strong message that they
will not tolerate such criminals. Sometimes,
life imprisonment instead of a death sentence
can lead to the public being extremely
unhappy with the justice system or the
government.
Top

So this is how it is. The pros and the cons.

Both have them. The world seems to be
moving towards life imprisonment. If we are
to move towards being a more humane
society, we need to think more rationally and
not in a prejudiced or emotional manner. But
maybe we will never be able to come to a firm
decision in favor of either.
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/death-penaltyvs-life-in-prison.html
Reasons Why Death Penalty is Wrong
The death penalty is one of the most
gruesome ways to end someone's life. Today
we list out the reasons why it is wrong? Along
with Its effects and consequences on the
society and on the victim's family.

Death is not only an unusually severe

punishment, unusual in its pain, in its finality
and in its enormity, but it serves no penal
purpose more effectively than a less severe
punishment; therefore the principle inherent
in the clause that prohibits pointless infliction
of excessive punishment when less severe
punishment can adequately achieve the same
purposes invalidates the punishment. ~
WILLIAM J. BRENNAN (American Jurist)
The term death penalty or capital punishment
has come under lot of debate in recent times.
People support it but they don't understand
the hidden facts behind this controversial
agenda. People think that capital punishment
ensures that the wrong are getting punished
and justice is being served. However, most of
us forget that in this obsession of serving
justice many innocent people are also
executed. There are various reasons why legal
execution is wrong and this piece of
information sheds light on all those various
reasons.
Death penalty has been in practice since

centuries and continues to remain so.

Although there are many countries who have
abolished this practice, there are at least 20
countries who still practice the concept of
capital punishment on a large basis. There are
at least 8 different ways of killing a person
after he/she has been awarded the death
penalty; firing squad, lethal injection, gas
chamber, electrocution, hanging, stoning to
death and shooting. All of these methods
whether they serve justice or not are inhuman
and should be stopped.
Reasons to be Against Death Penalty
Is death penalty a cruel and unusual
punishment? I would say yes. Don't think that
I am ignoring the practical side and trying to
be sensitive. If you'll have a close look at the
reasons why legalized killing is wrong, you will
start understanding this topic with a different
perspective.
Racist Factor
Most people all around the world think that
the capital punishment is a way of minimizing
the number of minorities in a particular

country. For instance; African-Americans

constitute 13% of the US population but more
than 42% of them are waiting to be executed.
With over 18,000 executions having taken
place in the country only 42 were of white
people. Plus almost every jury that convicts a
black person are full of white people.
Killing is Expensive
Yes, killing a person is more expensive than
keeping him alive his entire life in a cell. One
of the biggest disadvantages of capital
punishment is the long and complex process
involved for such cases. If the death sentence
is replaced with permanent life imprisonment,
states can save more than a billion dollars
every year and all this saved money can be
used for the betterment of minorities.
Punishment for the Poor
Hiring a capable attorney in the United States
is a luxury and most of them who are accused
cannot hire the services of an attorney to
defend themselves. There's no chance that an
innocent individual will get free until and
unless an experienced lawyer fights his case.
As the accused comes from a poor or a middle

class background even the jury go against

him as poverty and lack of money is one of
the biggest reasons why a man becomes a
criminal.
Unfair to the Innocent
Since 1973, more than 123 people on death
row have been freed after they were proved
innocent with evidence. The poor and the
unlucky always suffer from the hands of law, it
is quite natural that sometimes even the
innocent are wrongly accused and convicted.
Often cops or lawyers plant evidence to
accuse an innocent, in order to get
promotions and medals. They make false
arrests and take the entire situation in a
totally different direction.
You will come across many arguments on the
topic of should death penalty be abolished?
People will have their own views and sides on
the reasons to give up execution, so it's
advised not to pass a judgment before
understanding the complete case history.
By Kulbhushaan Raghuvanshi
Read more at Buzzle:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/reasons-whydeath-penalty-is-wrong.html
How Many States have the Death Penalty
The death penalty does exist in some of the
states in the United States. There are some
states, who have done away totally with the
death penalty and there are some who
continue to have it. Scroll down to know the
number of states, where death penalty is still
awarded.

There are different ways in which death

penalty is referred to. It is also known as
capital punishment and execution. It is the
method, where death is inflicted on a person
through a judicial process for an offense
committed by a person. The term capital

punishment has Latin origin and is taken from

the Latin word capitalis, which literally
translated means "regarding the head".
Therefore, previously capital punishment
always meant severing the head from the
body. The death penalty is normally given for
offense categorized as capital crimes or
capital offenses. Although there are
arguments for and against the death penalty
the world over, it continues to exist in a
number of countries, including the United
States. Like there are some countries, which
have totally done away with the death
penalty, there are some states in the United
States, who have abolished the death penalty.
On the other hand, there are some states,
where the death penalty has been suspended
and there are some states, where it continues
to exist. This brings us to the question, how
many states have the death penalty. There
are 34 states in the United States, which
continue to have the death penalty.
Names of States in the United States with the
Death Penalty
Now that we know there are about 34 states,

where death penalty is still given, the next

natural question is which are the states in the
United States, that continue to have the death
penalty. There are different methods used for
executing the death penalty. Some of the
methods currently used include decapitation,
firing squad, electrocution, gas chamber,
hanging, lethal injection, shooting, etc. Since
there are different methods used for
execution, there are some issues, due to
which execution has been put on hold in some
of the states, although there are some states
that have resumed the death penalty.
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky

Louisiana
Maryland
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
Wyoming
After reading the list of states that do have
the death penalty, there may be questions
about the state of Illinois. According to a

legislation passed by the Illinois State

Legislature, the death penalty has been
banned in the state. With this I hope you know
the total number of states where death
penalty is still given. I would like to bring it to
your notice, that District of Columbia also
does NOT have the death penalty. Therefore,
the other states that do not have the death
penalty are Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa,
Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North
Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and
Wisconsin. Michigan was the first state to ban
the death penalty. The last state of them all to
abolish the death penalty is Illinois.
There are a number of people rallying behind
abolishing the death penalty altogether for
various reasons. Some of the prominent
reasons include staggering costs that have to
be borne by the tax payers. When capital
punishment was introduced, it was to deter
anyone from the capital offenses, however, as
of now it does not seem to have worked. At
the same time, one cannot forget the number
of innocent people, who have been executed.
It has been recommended that the

punishment of life without parole be awarded

to people for committing heinous crimes.
By Bhakti Satalkar
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-manystates-have-the-death-penalty.html
Religion and the Death Penalty
Religions all across the world have mixed
stances on the issue of death penalty. Much
has been left to legal experts and for us to
figure out. Welcome to the debate on one of
the most controversial topics of the world
history...

The debate on capital punishment is

intensified when we turn towards major world

religions to seek some proper answers and

explanations regarding this supposedly brutal
form of punishment. If death penalty, on the
whole is a controversial issue in our civilized
society, several groups of people are at
loggerheads when it comes to religious views
on death penalty.
Why Include Religion in Debate on Death
Penalty?
Most of our laws, rules, customs and
traditional practices have been derived from
our holy books, as they are the words of
wisdom and contain teachings of our
ancestors. To avoid emergence of a chaotic
and a violent society, all laws, rules and
constitutional amendments have been written
keeping in mind the deepest values of our
respective religions and cultures. In the
debate on death penalty, it is obvious to
include religion because it forms the basis of
our culture and its rules. Since religions talk
about faith in the "eternal power" and
"creator" who has the ability to create life, we
look forward to scriptures in search of what it
has to say, when it comes to taking away life.

Since religious texts are the ultimate books of

wisdom, legal experts, ethicists, and
opponents or supporters of death penalty use
it to prove their point.
The general belief is that the decision to end a
life must come from a force greater than us
and that is 'eternally divine', like those
mentioned in our religious textbooks.
Therefore, when there is a clash of views
regarding any controversial topic, humanity
turns to religion for seeking more rational,
faith-based answers in the pious texts that
have been regarded to be amongst the most
sacred books of wisdom and knowledge of
life.
Religious Views on Death Penalty
Two of the world's most popular religions Buddhism and Hinduism, both oppose any
form of violence and preach the path of
ahimsa (non-violence). But both religions
don't have any specific rules or laws regarding
capital punishment. Christianity has mixed
views on death penalty and Islam has almost
total acceptance of death penalty but if

forgiveness is possible, it is preferable, as per

the teachings of the Holy Qur'an. Almost all
the major religions of the world have no fixed
stand on the view of capital punishment. It is
all ambiguity at the core and this makes the
debate on religion and the death penalty
more complex, requiring deeper analysis and
scholarly research from unbiased experts. If
you are in search of a unified theory regarding
death penalty and its conjunction with
religions, you may end up being confused. Let
us look at what various religions have to say
about death penalty.
Religion
Views on Death Penalty
Buddhism
Since its inception, Buddhism has gone
through numerous transformations in terms of
sects and teachings. There are so many
organizations of Buddhism spread all across
the globe, that it is indeed not possible to give
views of the entire religion with respect to
death penalty. When we focus on the
teachings of Gautama Buddha, the founder of
this religion, we find that he despised violence
as a measure to seek justice. "All fear

violence, all are afraid of death. Seeing the

similarity to oneself, one should not use
violence or have it used." - so says the
Buddha. Going by teachings and philosophies
of Buddha, ideally, capital punishment must
not be in practice. Nonetheless, many
Buddhist countries like Thailand, Japan still
retain death penalty due to several legal and
moral reasons.
Hinduism
Regarding Hinduism, it is said that it is one of
the most tolerant religions in the world, with a
wide acceptance of everything that life has to
offer. Although, religious literature in
Hinduism is extensive and includes the Holy
Vedas, Upanishads, and many other works,
there is hardly anything regarding death
sentence in them. But just like Buddhism,
Hindu countries like India have imposed death
penalty. However, it is a fact that in India,
death sentence has been rarely granted to
anyone. The highest judiciary body in India,
the Supreme Court has advised Indian
judiciary to give death sentences, in rarest of
the rare cases. Even a religion as diverse and
deep as Hinduism has no specific literature
dedicated to death penalty leaving law

makers and scholars confused as to what

should be the ideal law.
Christianity
Christianity has quite mixed and often
contradicting views on capital punishment.
Since centuries, many Christian Churches
have been in support of death punishment.
Both the Old Testament and the New
Testament have instances of capital
punishment. In the New Testament, the
crucifixion of Jesus Christ has been
mentioned, which is probably, one of the wellknown examples of death execution in the
world. Some Christian groups believe that it is
only the right of God to create and destroy
life. Some are also of the view that
Christianity as a religion, is based on
forgiveness, compassion and selfless love, so
death penalty is quite derogatory to human
life.
Islam
The one religion that seems to have a strong
view about death penalty is the Islam.
Although, the way of execution may vary in
different Islamic countries, the common belief
amongst Muslims is that, depending on the
severity of the crime, a person must be

awarded some strict earthly punishment

before he is punished by God. In most of the
Islamic countries, death penalty is given with
extreme care and awarded only in cases of
intentional murder, physical harm of another
person and intentional harm to the country, in
an attempt to destabilize or weaken the
country.
Going through the Buzzle article, death
penalty statistics, you will come to know that
death executions have been significantly high
in countries like China. An Amnesty
International report published in March 2011
has revealed that although many countries
have abolished capital punishment, it is a fact
that the major countries that have been
following it rigorously, haven't yet considered
to abolish it. So can religion answer the
question of death penalty? Is it possible to be
in a world without death punishment? This is
certainly the most challenging issue that
policy makers of all countries have to think
about, deeply.
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/religion-andthe-death-penalty.html

Is the Death Penalty Effective in Preventing

Serious Crimes?
Does death penalty serve the purpose when it
comes to prevention of serious crimes such as
murder? Join us in our quest to find out
whether death penalty - or capital
punishment, is as effective crime deterrent as
it is believed to be.

Other than retribution - justly deserved

penalty, deterrence is one of the most
prominent argument that people cite when
they support death penalty. It is no doubt one
of the most debated issues of the society
today. While those in support of death penalty
argue that it deters others from resorting to
similar crimes, those who oppose it are of the

opinion that it is not as effective it is

promoted to be. With both sides adamant on
their respective stands, the layman is left
confused about effectiveness of this practice
in prevention of serious crimes. Other than
the option for an evaluation of death penalty
pros and cons on the logical front, one should
also go through death penalty statistics and
compare these figures with crime rates to get
to the root of the issue.
Death Penalty: An Overview
Death penalty or capital punishment revolves
around the concept of general deterrence wherein a person convicted for a particular
crime is sentenced to death to send across
the message that such criminal acts will not
be tolerated in the society. It works on the
simple principle that people refrain from doing
a particular deed when they know that they
will have to pay a high price for the same. As
of today, 139 countries have outlawed this
practice (a fact which is widely used by
abolitionists to highlight the fact that it is
ineffective when it comes to crime
prevention). More recent death penalty

statistics reveal that only 18 countries

executed such a penalty as a part of legal
proceedings in 2009. In 2010, 46 convicts
were executed in the United States - of which
44 were executed by lethal injection and 1
each were executed by firing squad and
electric chair respectively. The general opinion
seems to be in favor of death penalty - at
least in case of homicide, with as many as 64
percent of Gallup Poll respondents voting in
favor of this concept in 2010.
Is the Death Penalty an Effective Crime
Deterrent?
Basically, death penalty is based on the belief
that the threat of death makes prospective
criminals think twice before resorting to some
criminal act - such as murder, and makes
them totally give up on such crimes. Even
though the effectiveness of death penalty as
a crime deterrent has been used to garner
support for this concept for quite some time
now, whether it really deters people from
resorting to crime is an issue of contention. A
study published in the 'Journal of Criminal Law
and Criminology' revealed that 88 percent of

American criminologists believed that death

penalty was not an effective crime deterrent.
In fact, approximately 87 percent of the
respondents of this study were of the opinion
that abolition of death penalty would have no
major impact on crime rates in the country as
such.
On the contrary, several criminologists are of
the opinion that the deterrent effect of
punishment in itself is one of the several
factors which makes a person indulge in
crime, and doing away with it can help us
bring down the crime rate by a significant
extent. The example of Canada wherein the
homicide rate declined after abolition of death
penalty in 1976 is often used by these people
to support their opinion. One has to also give
a thought to the fact that those criminals who
resort to a great deal of planning to commit
some crime will never get affected by the
threat of being caught and convicted. Similar
would be the case when it comes to crimes by
mentally affected people or children for whom
death penalty will seldom act as a deterrent.
Again the time frame between the sentencing

of convict and his actual execution is quite

lengthy - at times spanning a decade or even
more. By the time this execution is carried
out, only a few people (mostly the victim's
and criminal's family members) keep a track
of the trial. As time elapses the deterrence
effect of sentencing a person to death starts
decreasing. Even those in support of death
penalty agree with this fact, and argue that
the legal fraternity should speed up such trials
and execute the convict at the earliest so that
the deterrence effect as a consequence of
death penalty is maximum. But then, speedy
trials would again mean more chances of an
innocent person being sent to the gallows,
and that is something which we can't afford to
do.
There do exist studies which speak in support
of the death penalty as a crime deterrent. For
instance, a nationwide study which was
carried out by a group of professors at Emory
University in 2003 revealed that eighteen
lives are saved for every convict sentenced to
death. More of such studies - some of which
put the number of lives saved at 3 and others
at 20+ also exist. The critics though, seem to

be least impressed by these figures. While

some of them are of the opinion that these
studies are inconclusive, others out-rightly
dismissing them saying that the methodology
adopted in them is inappropriate. Those who
suggest that death penalty should be
abolished also point to the fact that the crime
rate in those states which have abolished
death penalty over the last few decades
hasn't increased dramatically as those in
support of this practice often suggest.
While many people claim that had there been
no provisions of death penalty in our legal
system, the crime rate would have been even
higher than what it is today. However, there is
very little statistical data to prove that death
penalty is effective in preventing serious
crimes. Basically, it is impossible to determine
how many murders could have been
prevented or how many people have been
killed because of presence or absence of
death penalty legislation. If we go by
numbers, we have no option but to believe
that death penalty is not as efficient a 'tool of
crime deterrence' as it is believed to be. At
the same time however, we can't ignore the

fact that without the fear of being sentenced

to death - the instances of people resorting to
murder would have been at least a bit higher
than what it is at present.
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/is-the-deathpenalty-effective-in-preventing-seriouscrimes.html
Should there be a Death Penalty?
Everybody has an opinion on whether death
penalty deserves a place in the society or not,
with more people being in favor of the same.
In a bid to join the raging debate, we decided
to evaluate some points put forth by those in
support of this practice and those who oppose
the same.

Capital punishment, aka death penalty, is

undoubtedly one of the most controversial
topics in the world today; no wonder it has left
the entire world divided into two groups. The
first group - which happens to be the majority,
comprises all those people who believe that
sentencing a person to death for murder or
any other brutal crime is a basic necessity for
a crime free society. Contrary to this, the
second group of people - which also includes
human rights groups and organizations like
Amnesty International, believe that there is no
place for such inhumane practice in the
civilized society that we live in.
The Death Penalty Debate
If asked for their opinion on death penalty,
thousands of people will vote in favor of this
practice. But if you ask the same people why
they think so, not many will be able to explain
their stance logically. As always, the tragedy
is that people take a stand without taking into
consideration both sides of the matter. That
being totally immature, one has to evaluate
death penalty pros and cons - and only then
come up with a rational opinion about the
issue. Those who are of the opinion that this

form of punishment is necessary have a long

list of arguments in favor of this practice at
their disposal. On the other hand, those who
are lobbying for a death penalty free judicial
system are armed with numerous reasons
against it.
Those in support of death penalty argue that:
Our judicial system is more sympathetic
towards convicts than it is towards the victims
of their heinous crime.
The practice of sentencing a person convicted
for murder to death is necessary as it makes
sure that justice prevails.
When a person convicted for crimes like
murder, rape or genocide is sentenced to
death, it deters other people from resorting to
such criminal acts.
A person convicted for murder roaming
around freely (even after he has served his
sentence in prison) is no short of a threat for
the society.
The champions of human rights need not pay
so much attention to these criminal who
themselves don't respect other people's right
of life.
Other than these pro death penalty

arguments, the proponents of this practice

also have a few questions which need to be
given a serious thought before taking stand
on this issue:
Is it justified that we use taxpayer's hardearned money to make sure that a criminal
leads a decent life in prison?
What's the guarantee that the criminal won't
resort to some heinous crime after completing
his term in prison?
Do we really need to care for the right of a
person who himself doesn't respect the rights
of fellow humans?
Do those people who speak about the
consequences of death penalty on criminal's
family ever think about victim's family
members? Don't they deserve justice?
Are our family members safe with such antisocial elements roaming around freely in the
society?
Those who oppose death penalty argue that:
The eye for an eye principle, that the capital
punishment is based on, doesn't have a place
in civilized society.
If an innocent man is executed as a part of
this form of punishment, he can't be brought
back even if he is proved innocent at a later

stage.
Even if the criminal is sentenced to death, the
victim will not come back to life. On the
contrary, the criminal's innocent family
members will have to bear the brunt of this
sentence.
There is no concrete evidence to suggest that
death penalty acts as a deterrent. If it was, it
would have brought down crime rate in
several countries of Middle East by now.
The chances of a poor innocent person being
convicted and executed for a crime he didn't
commit just because he was not able to afford
a good lawyer to defend him cannot be ruled
out.
Even the critics of death penalty have some
questions which they put forth when
supporting their stand on why death penalty
should be abolished:
Do you really need to kill someone to
highlight the fact that killing someone is
wrong?
Doesn't it tantamount to revenge when a
person is sentenced to death for a crime he
has committed?
Can anyone assure that there are no
loopholes in the judicial system and no

innocent person will be sent to the gallows?

Doesn't death penalty come hard on
taxpayer's wallet with appeals and re-appeals
allegedly costing the government 2.5 times
more than what life term in prison costs?
In cases wherein murder is not the motive or
wherein the prevailing circumstances make
the person take a step which he wouldn't
think about otherwise, is it justified to execute
the person straightaway - rather than give
him a chance to rehabilitate.
At the end of the day, all these arguments
and questions have to be taken into
consideration if you intend to take a stand on
this issue. Going through the aforementioned
information, it becomes very difficult to say
which of the two sides have an edge over the
other. A better way out is to treat every
individual case differently - and, more
importantly, make sure that you do away with
the loopholes of the judicial system owing to
which an innocent person may have to pay
with his life.
While the fact that only 18 countries resorted
to capital punishment in 2009 may make it
seem like our society is moving away from

this controversial judicial practice, the fact

that a developed nation like the United States
of America continues to use it, is something
for us to worry about. If those in favor of
outlawing death penalty are to be believed,
we are heading in the right direction with as
many as 139 countries abolishing the
practice. Little more efforts, and we will be
able to make sure that the world becomes a
crime free society without people having to do
away with their fundamental right of living.
By Abhijit Naik
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/should-therebe-a-death-penalty.html
Should Death Penalty be Abolished?
Death penalty is, undoubtedly, one of the
raging issues of debate in the world today.
While those who believe that it should be
abolished argue that it is a violation of the
basic human rights, others feel that it is a
necessity to maintain the decorum in our
society.

Death penalty, also referred to as the capital

punishment, is the judicial process wherein an
individual is executed, by means of legal
proceedings, for some heinous crime that he
has committed. There exist numerous forms
of execution; the most prominent ones being
hanging by the neck, electrocution and lethal
injection. Whether it should be abolished or
not is a question which has divided the world
into two groups - the first comprises those
who feel that it is a denial of the basic human
rights, and second comprises those who feel
that people who deny others the right to live
don't deserve any human rights themselves.
Death Penalty Statistics
Statistics reveal that around 90 percent of the
countries have already abolished the practice.

This includes countries like Portugal,

Venezuela, France, Canada, etc. That,
however, hasn't turned out to be as fruitful as
expected, as some of the major countries in
the world, including the China, India and the
United States, still continue the use it as a
part of their legal system. Statistical data also
reveals that approximately 80 percent of the
death penalty executions the world over,
come from the Asian countries, with China at
the forefront with the highest execution rate
in the world. In fact, the number of executions
in China alone in 2008 was double the
number of executions in the rest of the world
combined for that year.
Death Penalty Debate
Capital punishment laws differ from one
country to another. In some countries, an
individual may be sentenced to death for
some serious crime, such as homicide or rape,
while in other countries the same punishment
is sentenced when convicted for corruption or
other relatively less serious crimes. Today, the
news of death penalty executions anywhere in
the world make it to the front page of the

leading dailies in the world, thus rekindling

the age-old debate time and again.
Why it Should be Abolished?
The aim of the judicial system is to reform the
individual found guilty of a particular crime,
and the death penalty contradicts this very
aim. The judicial process is undertaken to
judge whether the person has committed the
crime or not, and not to judge whether he will
reform or not. This is one of the most
prominent argument of the people who
believe that the practice should be abolished.
These people also argue that the judicial
system can be well-versed with the
investigation, but it can't really have an
opinion on the whether the convict is ready to
reform or not.
Secondly, no legal system in this world can
boast of cent percent discipline when it comes
to crime investigation. There are chances that
lack of proper investigations may land a
wrong person in the conviction box, and even
send him to gallows. One also has to
understand that execution of an individual
cannot be rectified if the person was found to

be innocent after the execution. On the other

hand, a person serving a life term can at least
be set free once his innocence has been
proved.
Every individual deserves a second chance in
life. An individual convicted for a crime is
more likely to learn from his mistake after
serving the prison term, but not giving him an
opportunity to do so doesn't fit into the norms
of a civilized society. The poor can't afford to
hire good lawyers to prove their innocence,
while the rich get away with anything they do
owing to their money power. That being said,
there are significant chances that the bias
towards the rich would only result in the poor
having to bear the brunt.
On moral grounds, people who demand that
death penalty should be abolished also argue
that there is some difference between a
criminal in the conviction box and the
administration. If a person is sentenced to
execution by the administration, what will be
the difference between the criminal and
administration?

Why it Shouldn't be Abolished?

The number of people in favor of the death
penalty is quite decent as well. These people
argue that respecting the human rights of a
person who himself doesn't have any respect
for the rights of others is obviously out of
question. Moral grounds are not at all
substantial to challenge the fact that the
person has committed a heinous crime.
Those in favor of capital punishment also ask
why the taxpayers should have to take the
burden of housing a convict, and providing
him with the necessities of life. Instead,
executing him will save a decent amount of
money, which can channelized towards the
development of the nation.
More importantly, allowing this person to
roam about freely in the society, even if it is
after the completion of his term in prison, is
indeed a risk. No one can give a guarantee
that the person will repent after his prison
term, and refrain from doing such things in
the future. More importantly, sentencing a
person for capital punishment for crimes like
murder or rape will also work in dissuading

others from committing such crimes.

There is yet another group of people, who
argue that death penalty should be scrapped,
not because it is inhumane, but because it is
an easy way out for the criminals. One has to
take into consideration the fact that
punishment is given with the intention of
making the criminal pay for his actions - so
that he doesn't repeat the same, and set an
example for others to follow - so that they
think twice before resorting to any such
crime. While the first option is out-of-bounds
when it comes to death penalty, it does have
the tendency of setting an example in order
to curb uncivilized behavior in the society. If,
at all, giving capital punishment serves the
purpose, then going with people in favor of
capital punishment, is by far the best way to
create a crime-free society.
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/should-deathpenalty-be-abolished.html