Capital Punishment
Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a criminal by the state. Most countries have used the death penalty at some time in their past, and many still do. This includes communist countries, such as China (470 executions in 2007), Muslim countries, e.g. Iran (317 executions in 2007), and predominantly Christian countries, such as USA (42 executions in 2007).
There are many arguments on both sides of this issue. Here are some:
| For | Against |
|---|---|
| Protection - once killed, a very dangerous criminal is no longer a threat | Mistakes - innocent people will be killed. Many death-row inmates have been released due to new evidence. |
| Cost - it costs £27,000 per year for the average prisoner, more for serious offenders. Why waste that money? | Apart from innocent people being killed, the trauma of an innocent fighting a death penalty is far worse than just appealing a conviction |
| Retrbution - a murderer has taken someone's life, which can never be brought back, and deserves to die | Justice - the death penalty is never used fairly. In America, ric h, white people are likely to be able to afford lawyers to get them off, so more poor black people end up dying |
| Deterrence - people will be scared of the death penalty and will not kill others | Murderers are still people (or 'children of God made in His image'). It is wrong to kill |
| The family of a murder victim cannot get on with their lives until the murderer is dead | It is hypocritical - you kill someone because you hate the idea of killing someone |
| The majority of people want the death penalty - it is democratic | It turns someone into a murderer |
| The Bible says 'an eye for an eye' - it is God's justice | It is barbaric, painful and inhuman |
