Capital Punishment
Capital punishment is punishment that takes away the life of the criminal.
It is normally called execution or the death penalty.
In the past there were many offences that people could be executed for.
These have been reduced over the years until only one, murder, remained.
The death penalty was abolished in the UK in 1970.
Arguments for:• Capital punishment is the best deterrent and would lead to fewer murders.
• Society can only be protected from murderers and terrorists by taking their lives away. · Human life is precious. Taking someone else’s should carry the ultimate punishment. • Capital punishment is the best kind of retribution and compensation for a victim of murder and their family. |
Arguments against:• Sometimes courts make mistakes. You cannot reverse capital punishment if you have made a mistake!
• Statistics suggest that capital punishment is no more of a deterrent than life imprisonment. • Executing terrorists or murderers sometimes can make them heroes or martyrs. • Executing murderers makes society as bad as the murderer. |