On the one hand, some people say that in the case of murder, capital punishment is fairer than prison. They might believe that capital punishment shows retribution, and that if someone takes someone else's life, they should lose theirs too. The Bible backs this up, stating: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". An example of this is a man called Saddam Hussein, who is said to have killed thousands of people. He was put on trial and subsequently executed in 2006. These people might also think that capital punishment expresses deterrence. They might say that giving a murderer the death penalty will deter (stop) other from doing it again. For example, the crime committed in Saudi Arabia is less than the amount of crime committed in the UK, as harsher punishments are put in place in Saudi Arabia. Britain had abolished the death penalty for murder in 1969, whereas it is still in place in Saudi Arabia. Some people might also say that he slim chance of executing the wrong person is balanced out by the so called benefits to society by deterring other murderers from killing as well. They also might add that once you are put on death row and executed, you won't be able to commit murder or any sort of crime for that matter, because you are dead. Capital punishment doesn't and can't change what it is used for and who it is used against and that the majority of judges using it are just.
On the other hand, some people might argue that capital punishment for murder isn't fairer than prison. They might argue that there are still some judges out there that are corrupt, or just make the wrong decisions. For example, there are one in ten people who are wrongfully accused and put on death row and executed. They argue that the slight chance of convicting the wrong person isn't worth risking. For example, a case in the UK in 1950, the judge convicted the wrong person. Timothy Evans was tried and executed in the UK for the murder of his baby daughter Geraldine. The case was opened 16 years later and after further investigation, it was in fact his fellow tenant, John Christie (who was a serial killer) that was responsible for the murder of Geraldine. Another example of corrupt and racial discriminative judging is that innocent black people are 7.5 times more likely to be falsely accused and convicted of murder than innocent white people. Lots of murderers have a diminished responsibility and a lack of common sense and knowledge. For example, Derek William Bentley was convicted and executed in 1953. Him and his friend were attempting a burglary when a policeman had found them. His partner was holding a gun at the time and Bentley said the famous phrase :"Let him have it", leaving the policeman dead. Now this could have had a double meaning to it. Because Bentley was mentally disabled, he could have just meant to say let the policeman have the gun. Because he was 18 at the time of the murder and his partner was 16, his partner wasn't legally allowed to be executed.. As a result of this, Bentley got executed even though he wasn't the one who pulled the trigger. Another big example of wrongful conviction is when the Birmingham Six got sentenced to life only because the judge said that the death penalty wasn't legal at the time of conviction (1975). They were wrongfully accused of the Birmingham pub bombings in 1974 and had to sit in prison for 16 years until they were released due to new found evidence of the case in 1991. These people might also say that it is not right to teach people not to kill by killing, or simply put, it isn't right to right wrong by wrongdoing. What lots of people say : You can't teach that violence is wrong by being violent. In modern days, you would normally be executed by lethal injection or the electric chair. These deaths aren't exactly smooth and painless however. Amnesty International is a group that supports human rights. They argue that this is not a civilised act and is it's just like going back a century to torturing methods that lead to death.
I have painted both sides of the picture through the course of this essay. Now it is time for my personal opinion. I think that in the case of murder, capital punishment isn't fairer than prison. I say this because I think that every living being has an unlimited right to human life. Just because they took a life, doesn't necessarily mean that they've forfeited that right to live and should be given another punishment or time in prison. However, I believe that experience can change your opinion. For example, if a family member or friend of mine was killed, I would fully support the death penalty, if he is to be convicted. The word revenge means the will of inflicting pain on another being for something they have done to you. In the example that I have illustrated above, I would feel angry and naturally want revenge. But revenge isn't just. It might be what you think they deserve, but it isn't justice to inflict pain on someone. How justice is achieved is with a just judge that sentences the culprit to the correct amount of time in prison. Even if it means life in prison, I still don't think it is just to take a life, guilty or innocent.
20 Facts about the death penalty/capital punishment:
The first known record of the death penalty dates back to the 18th century BC.
25 states of America employ the death penalty.
56 countries still practice capital punishment.
In 1608, Captain George Kendall became the first man executed on United States soil for espionage.
56 countries practice capital punishment.
England outlawed the death penalty in 1969.
The crimes punishable by death vary significantly through the years.
Historically, the death penalty was different depending on your social status.
Methods for execution vary.
Venezuela was the first country to abolish the death penalty for all crimes.
The use of the death penalty is declining.
In the UK, one Jephthah Big got executed for sending a threating letter.
Up until 2005, the United States Supreme Court allowed juveniles to receive the death penalty.
George Stinney Jr. was the youngest person to be executed in modern history by the electric chair.
As late as 2013, approx. 15 countries still allowed women to be stoned to death as capital punishment.
Uzbekistan executed death row inmates by boiling them to death.
Lethal injection is the most common method of execution (death penalty).
A dentist by the name of Alfred Southwick invented the infamous electric chair.
In 2015, Kim Jong-Un publicly executed his Defence Minister for falling asleep during an event.
Saudi Arabia are the only country that decapitates (beheads) their death row inmates as a form of capital punishments.
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