Capitol Punishment
Capital Punishment deters murder, and is just Retribution Capital
punishment, is
the execution of criminals by the state, for committing
crimes, regarded so
heinous, that this is the only acceptable punishment.
Capital punishment does
not only lower the murder rate, but it's value as
retribution alone is a good
reason for handing out death sentences. Support
for the death penalty in the
U.S. has risen to an average of 80%
according to an article written by Richard
Worsnop, entitled "Death
penalty debate centres on Retribution", this
figure is slightly lower in
Canada where support for the death penalty is at 72%
of the population over
18 years of age, as stated in article by Kirk Makir, in
the March 26, 1987
edition of the Globe and Mail, titled "B.C. MPs split on
Death Penalty".
The death penalty deters murder by putting the fear of
death into would be
killers. A person is less likely to do something, if he or
she thinks that
harm will come to him. Another way the death penalty deters
murder, is the
fact that if the killer is dead, he will not be able to kill
again. Most
supporters of the death penalty feel that offenders should be
punished for
their crimes, and that it does not matter whether it will deter the
crime
rate. Supporters of the death penalty are in favour of making examples out
of
offenders, and that the threat of death will be enough to deter the
crime
rate, but the crime rate is irrelevant. According to Isaac Ehrlich's
study,
published on April 16, 1976, eight murders are deterred for each
execution that
is carried out in the U.S.A. He goes on to say, "If one
execution of a
guilty capital murderer deters the murder of one innocent
life, the execution is
justified." To most supporters of the death penalty,
like Ehrlich, if even
1 life is saved, for countless executions of the
guilty, it is a good reason for
the death penalty. The theory that society
engages in murder when executing the
guilty, is considered invalid by most
supporters, including Ehrlich. He feels
that execution of convicted offenders
expresses the great value society places
on innocent life. Isaac Ehrlich goes
on to state that racism is also a point
used by death penalty advocates. We
will use the U.S. as examples, since we can
not look at the inmates on death
row in Canada, because their are laws in Canada
that state that crime
statistics can not be based on race, also the fact that
there are no inmates
on death row in Canada. In the U.S. 16 out of 1000 whites
arrested for murder
are sentenced to death, while 12 of 1000 blacks arrested for
murder were
sentenced to death. 1.1% of black inmates on death row were
executed, while
1.7% of white inmates will die. Another cry for racism, as
according to
Ehrlich, that is raised by advocates of the death penalty is based
on the
colour of the victim, for example "if the victim is white, it is
more likely
that the offender will get the death penalty than if the victim had
been
black". This is true, if you look at the actual number of people who
are
murder. More people kill whites and get the death penalty, then people
who
kill blacks and get the death penalty. The reason for this is that more
whites
are killed, and the murders captured. Now if we look at the number of
blacks
killed it is a lot less, but you have to look at these numbers
proportionately.
Percent wise it is almost the same number for any race,
so this is not the
issue. In a 1986 study done by Professor Stephen K. Layson
of the University of
North Carolina, the conclusions made by Ehrilich
were updated, and showed to be
a little on the low side as far as the
deterrence factor of capital punishment.
Professor Layson found that 18
murders were deterred by each execution is the
U.S. He also found that
executions increases in probability of arrest,
conviction, and other
executions of heinous offenders. According to a statement
issued by George C.
Smith, Director of Litigation, Washington Legal Foundation,
titled "In
Support of the Death Penalty", support for the death
penalty has grown in the
U.S., as the crime rate increased. In 1966, 42% of
Americans were in
favour of capital punishment while 47% were opposed to it.
Since the
crime rate United states has increased, support for the capital
punishment
has followed suit. In 1986, support for capital punishment was 80%
for and
only 17% against with 3% undecided, but most of the undecided votes said
they
were leaning toward a pro capital punishment stance, if they had to vote
on
it immediately. Let us now focus on Canada. The last two people to be
executed,
in Canada were Arthur Lucas and Ron Turpin. They were executed on
December 11,
1962. The executions in Canada were carried out by hanging.
1 The death penalty
was abolished in Canada in the latter part of 1976, after
a debate that lasted
98 hours. The death penalty was only beaten by 6
votes. If we look back to 1976,
the year the death penalty was abolished in
Canada, threats of death, were being
made to Members of Parliament and their
immediate families from pro death
penalty advocates. Most members of
parliament, voted on their own personal
feelings, as opposed to the views of
their voters.2 The same was the case in
British Colombia, where accepting
of the death penalty, if it was reinstated
1987 , by the federal
government was discussed. The M.P.s were split, 17 out of
29 were for the
death penalty. This showed, that even the majority of the M.P.s
were in
favour of the death penalty in B.C. Support for the death penalty
in
British Columbia at the time was almost 70%, but the M.P.s felt that
it was up
to them to vote how they felt was right, and not to vote on which
vote would
give them the best chance for a second term.3 In 1987, the
Progressive
Conservative government wanted to hold a free vote on the
reinstatement of
Capital punishment, but Justice minister Ray Hnatyshyn,
who was opposed to it,
pressured the M.P.s, into voted against the bill. Ray
Hnatyshyn, was the
deciding factor, if not for him, it was widely believed
that the reinstatement
of capital punishment would have gone through, and the
death penalty would be a
reality today.4 Capital punishment is such a
volatile issue, and both sides are
so deeply rooted in their views that they
are willing to do almost anything to
sway all of the people they can to their
side. We personally feel, and our views
are backed up by proof, in the form
of studies by the likes of Isaac Ehrlich's
1975 and Prof. Stephen K.
Layson's, that was published in 1986, and polls that
have been taken both in
Canada and the United States over the past few years.
All of these
studies and surveys show that capital punishment is a valid
deterrent to
crime, and obviously the public, and society as a whole are in
favour of it.
The death penalty makes would be capital offenders think about
weather
committing a crime is really worth their lives. Even if capital
punishment
did not deter crime, the simple fact that it will allow society to
"get even"
with murders. Capital punishment also insures peace of mind
because it
insures that murders will never kill again. 1 From: Take Notice,
(Copp
Clarke Pitman Ltd., 1979) page 163 2 From: Article written by David
Vienneau
published in the March 24, 1987 edition of the "Toronto Star",
titled,
Debate Agonizing for MPs. 3 From: Article written by Kirk Makir,
published in
March 26, 1987 edition of the "Globe and Mail", titled, BC
MPs Split
on Death Penalty Debate. 4 From: Article written by Hugh Winsor,
published in
April 29, 1987 edition of the "Globe and Mail", titled,
Debate on
Death Penalty placed on hold.
Bibliography
Take
Notice, (Copp Clarke Pitman Ltd., 1979) page 163 2 From: Article written
by
David Vienneau published in the March 24, 1987 edition of the
"Toronto
Star", titled, Debate Agonizing for MPs. 3 From: Article written
by Kirk
Makir, published in March 26, 1987 edition of the "Globe and
Mail",
titled, BC MPs Split on Death Penalty Debate. 4 From: Article written
by Hugh
Winsor, published in April 29, 1987 edition of the "Globe and
Mail",
titled, Debate on Death Penalty placed on hold.