Over recent years, the rate of crime has dramatically increased in many countries around the world. It has been suggested that the reintroduction of the death penalty would be an effective deterrent against the growth of serious crime, but it can be argued that capital punishment is unacceptable in our society for several reasons. In the following essay I will examine this issue and then give my own opinion.
Firstly, capital punishment does not seem to reduce crime rates. The most recent survey of the relation between the death penalty and homicide rates was conducted for the UN and concluded that there is no scientific evidence that capital punishment deters people from committing crime. In fact, death penalty states continue to have higher crime rates than states that have abolished it.
Secondly, the death penalty is an inhuman and degrading punishment that violates human rights, in particular the right to life. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the inalienable right to life and should not be killed by another person nor by government. However, capital punishment is still practised in many countries, such as the United States or China, where the death penalty is regarded as a highly effective measure that provides a sense of justice for victims. It is certainly true that victims and their families have the right to justice, but executing somebody because they have committed murder is revenge, not justice.
Finally, capital punishment entails the risk of executing innocent people. Although criminal justice systems are supposed to be perfect, they have serious flaws and prosecutors as well as jurors can all make mistakes. A recent study has found that in the USA over 150 people had been released from death row because they were innocent of the crime for which they were convicted. This is a clear evidence that such mistakes are not only possible in the criminal justice system, but they are also reversible when death penalty has not been practiced. On the contrary, had they been executed there would have been nothing to do and the state would have been guilty of killing innocent people.
In conclusion,
Over recent years, the
rate
of
crime
has
dramatically
increased in
many
countries around the world. It has
been suggested
that the reintroduction of the death
penalty
would be an effective deterrent against the growth of serious
crime
,
but
it can
be argued
that
capital
punishment
is unacceptable in our society for several reasons. In the following essay I will examine this issue and then give my
own
opinion.
Firstly
,
capital
punishment
does not seem to
reduce
crime
rates
. The most recent survey of the relation between the death
penalty
and homicide
rates
was conducted
for the UN and concluded that there is no scientific evidence that
capital
punishment
deters
people
from committing
crime
. In fact, death
penalty
states
continue to have higher
crime
rates
than
states
that have abolished it.
Secondly
, the death
penalty
is an inhuman and degrading
punishment
that violates human
rights
,
in particular
the
right
to life. The Universal Declaration of Human
Rights
states
that everyone has the inalienable
right
to life and should not
be killed
by another person nor by
government
.
However
,
capital
punishment
is
still
practised
in
many
countries, such as the United
States
or China, where the death
penalty
is regarded
as a
highly
effective measure that provides a sense of
justice
for victims. It is
certainly
true that victims and their families have the
right
to
justice
,
but
executing somebody
because
they have committed murder is revenge, not justice.
Finally
,
capital
punishment
entails the
risk
of executing innocent
people
. Although criminal
justice
systems
are supposed
to be perfect, they have serious flaws and prosecutors
as well
as jurors can all
make
mistakes. A recent study has found that in the USA over 150
people
had
been released
from death row
because
they were innocent of the
crime
for which they
were convicted
. This is a
clear
evidence that such mistakes are not
only
possible in the criminal
justice
system,
but
they are
also
reversible when death
penalty
has not
been practiced
.
On the contrary
, had they
been executed
there would have been nothing to do and the
state
would have been guilty of killing innocent
people
.
In conclusion
,
10Linking words, meeting the goal of 7 or more
41Repeated words, meeting the goal of 3 or fewer
1Mistakes