Death Penalty Should Be Abolished Globally
Execution “the legal ending of someone's life” has been a commonly used form of punishment across the world for centuries. In recent times, people seem to have forgotten the severity of it, with last meals nowadays being an interesting conversation topic. Although the death penalty can seem a thing of the past here in the UK, shockingly only 108 countries have abolished the death penalty as of the end of 2020. Capital punishment is an ineffective, unfair and cruel form of punishment that we should globally abolish, and today in death penalty should be abolished essay I will be convincing you why.
Firstly, capital punishment is a permanent and irreversible form of punishment which, unlike incarceration, can't be corrected if the inmate is found to be innocent. And itâs not unusual for the justice system to be at fault. From 1973 to the present day, over 184 American prisoners have been declared innocent after having been sentenced to death. One case here in the UK saw a man hung for a murder committed by someone who had in fact already been investigated by the police. The police ignorantly believed that the actual killer was innocent as he had once been a police officer. Cases like this show how corruption can play a huge role in who lives and who dies. Surely you can agree that innocent people shouldn't be killed, which is why the death penalty should be abolished as authorities across the world have shown that they can't catch the culprit. If they can't be trusted to use the death penalty properly, then who can?
Secondly, the death penalty also puts too much power in the hands of governments. The death penalty essentially gives them the power to permanently remove from this world anyone they deem a threat. Governments of countries such as Iran and Sudan brutally use capital punishment on political opposition in order to retain their own power. This potential for a domineering control of people's thoughts and beliefs is another reason why the death penalty should be abolished.
Thirdly, imperfections of the justice system make the serving of the death penalty unfair. Decent legal representation is very costly in capitalist societies, which makes people on low incomes far more vulnerable to receiving the death sentence than others. This so-called justice system allows people who have committed similar crimes to get vastly different sentences based purely on an economic imbalance. Some countries also discriminate against people with mental health issues and ignore the impact it may have had on the crime they committed. Japan, Pakistan and the USA; all of these countries - and undoubtedly more - have sent people with mental and intellectual disabilities to their graves. A discriminatory justice system makes capital punishment incredibly unfair, and it should therefore be abolished.
Of course, there must be reasons for such a vile punishment to still be in existence. So, why do countries retain the death penalty? Many have argued that harsh punishments will deter criminals from committing crimes and thus reduce crime rates. However, a 2015 study concluded that having capital punishment in the USA did not cause a period of reduced crime like many had concluded. Furthermore, a glance back at British history shows that people in dire circumstances will commit crimes regardless of the consequences due to desperation. This means that, without change, people in desperate situations will continue committing crimes and capital punishment is thus useless at preventing it.
Another reason the death penalty is retained is that it prevents re-offending. Unfortunately, the death penalty does fulfil this purpose by making the convicted physically incapable of committing crime ever again. Or doing anything at all, for that matter. This does make the assumption that criminals are incapable of change and that they would continue committing crimes if they lived. To use capital punishment to prevent re-offending is so unfair and dehumanizing to convicts that it should hence be abolished.
It's easy to think that the death penalty doesnât matter when living in an abolitionist country. But the truth is that a staggering 53% of people who voted for Brexit would like to see the death penalty reinstated. And while it can seem bleak, if we all work together, we can globally abolish the death penalty. You too can help to do this: sign petitions, spread the stories of innocent people on death row, and donate to charities working to end the death penalty. Together, we can ensure no one ever has to suffer a vile, inhumane and cruel death ever again.
