Singapore has the world’s highest execution rate, reports international human rights organisation Amnesty International. This has caused several human rights groups to push for an abolition of the death penalty in the city-state. Abolitionists claim that capital punishment is inhumane, a violation of human rights, and does nothing to prevent more crime.
Controversy is understandable, with the sensitive nature of ending another human’s existence. In Singapore, the death penalty means death by hanging, and execution is carried out on Fridays at Changi Prison. Although it is only reserved for offenses of a very serious nature, such as murder, kidnap, possession of firearms or drugs, some hold the belief that not even condemned criminals deserve capital punishment. Nonetheless, the death penalty in Singapore should not be abolished because it serves as an effective deterrent from serious crime, life imprisonment is not as efficient, and it serves justice in society.
As the harshest punishment meted out to only the worst convicts, the death sentence has been extremely successful in discouraging criminal offences. By comparing crime statistics with countries that have abolished the death penalty and looking at studies and our own history, we can see the effect of a tough approach to crime. Unlike America, which does not give a mandatory death penalty for possessing a certain amount of drugs and possessing a firearm, Singapore has a much lower crime rate. While America listed drug offences at 560.1 per 100,000 people, Singapore recorded only 46.8 per 100,000 people. Firearm homicide rate per 100,000 people in Singapore was 0.0249, while America reported a much higher rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people. (NationMaster.com) According to...
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Between the years of 1714 and 1799 the rate of theft in London increased for many reasons. The method of research use to prove this hypothesis was Old Bailey online. Old Bailey is a court in the city of London in the county of Middlesex. The court is held eight times a year for the trial of prisoners; the crimes tried in this court are high and petty treason, petty larceny, murder, felony, burglary, etc. The goal of this paper is to prove that not only did theft increase, but also why it increased. My preliminary findings suggest that overall theft did increase, and that the main causes for this were: political, economical, and social problems.
This paper will examine the pros and cons of the death penalty. Is it a deterrent or is that a myth. Does it give the family of the victim peace or does it cause them to suffer waiting for appeal after appeal. What are the forms of execution and any evidence of them being cruel and usual punishment. Is the death penalty fair if there are glaring, disparities in sentencing depending on geographic location and the color of the offender and victim’s skin?
Capital punishment is an age-old practice. It has been used in civilizations for millennia, and will continue to be used for millennia to come. Whether used for the right or wrong reasons, capital punishment is unmistakable in its various forms. From hangings, to firing squads, to lethal injections, capital punishment and the associated proceeding have evolved over time. There have been many arguments against capital punishment, many of which still hold true. As capital punishment has evolved over time, however, many of the most valid arguments have been proven all but null. Capital punishment still has its ethical and moral concerns, but as it has evolved over time these concerns have not necessarily become less valid, but fewer in number when specifically addressing capital punishment. The proceedings that come hand-in-hand with capital punishment, however, have become increasingly more rigorous and controversial and are the main focus of most capital punishment concerns.
It's dark and cold, the fortress-like building has cinderblock walls, and death lurks around the perimeter. A man will die tonight. Under the blue sky, small black birds gather outside the fence that surrounds the building to flaunt their freedom. There is a gothic feel to the scene, as though you have stepped into a horror movie.
or hundreds of years people have considered capital punishment a deterrence of crime. Seven hundred and five individuals have died since 1976, by means of capital punishment; twenty-two of these executions have already occurred this year (Death Penalty Information Center). Many U.S. citizens who strongly support the death penalty believe that capital punishment remains the best way to protect society from convicted killers. I, however, disagree; I do not feel that execution best punishes criminals for their acts. Instead, in my opinion, the administration of the death penalty should end because it does not deter crime; it risks the death of an innocent person, it costs millions of dollars, it inflicts unreasonable pain; and most importantly it violates moral principles.
In countries such as Russia and Japan, it is clear that the threat of capital punishment which looms over society does act as a deterrent in serious criminal offences. In fact most countries around the world who utilize the penalty have the lowest
This essay will discuss the various views regarding the death penalty and its current status in the United States. It can be said that almost all of us are familiar with the saying “An eye for an eye” and for most people that is how the death penalty is viewed. In most people’s eyes, if a person is convicted without a doubt of murdering someone, it is believed that he/she should pay for that crime with their own life. However, there are some people who believe that enforcing the death penalty makes society look just as guilty as the convicted. Still, the death penalty diminishes the possibility of a convicted murderer to achieve the freedom needed to commit a crime again; it can also be seen as a violation of the convicted person’s rights going against the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Guernsey, J. B. (2010). Death penalty: fair solution or moral failure. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. Retrieved February 8, 2011 from http://books.google.com/books?id=38slHSsFFrgC&pg=PA125&dq=death+penalty+in+other+countries&hl=en&ei=F6dQTZHLBsm_tgfD7rHBCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD4Q6AEwBDgU#v=onepage&q=death%20penalty%20in%20other%20countries&f=false
Almost all nations in the world either have the death sentence or have had it at one time. It was used in most cases to punish those who broke the laws or standards that were expected of them. Since the death penalty wastes tax money, is inhumane, and is largely unnecessary it should be abolished in every state across the United States. The use of the death penalty puts the United States in the same category as countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia which are two of the world’s worst human rights violators (Friedman 34). Lauri Friedman quotes, “Executions simply inject more violence into an already hostile American society.”
While researching texts written about the patterns of crime and punishment in the nineteenth century, I found authors who published books, scholarly articles, and other useful information. These articles were rather heterogeneous; from talking about punishment for pregnancy out of wedlock, to crime rates growing from Irish immigrants in England, and the differentiation in crime of the genders. However, while these authors discuss crime and punishment, they discuss them in multiplicities, there is no certain rate or discussion of what crimes were often performed. My general goal in this paper is to bring to light the certain crimes and the punishments for these crimes in the Victorian Era. I aspire to efficiently explain the originality of the crime in the period of the nineteenth century.
In conclusion, although the death penalty has some defects, we can reform it to make it become more suitable for our society. However, as there are so many complex factors, the death penalty shouldn’t be abolished in China.
Jacoby believes the death penalty protects society by threatening future murders with fear. Gaes believes the death penalty is necessary because the overpopulation in prisons causes emotional and physical distress. The stronger side of the debate seems to be that the death penalty does not discourage crime at all nor does it help the victim’s family heal. It would be useful to know whether or not death-penalty states as a whole have lower rates of crime than non-death penalty states when arguing for the death penalty.
Capital punishment has been a controversial topic in association to any person condemned to a serious committed crime. Capital punishment has been a historical punishment for any cruel crime. Issues associated to things such as the different methods used for execution in most states, waste of taxpayers’ money by performing execution, and how it does not serve as any form of justice have been a big argument that raise many eyebrows. Capital punishment is still an active form of deterrence in the United States. The history of the death penalty explains the different statistics about capital punishment and provides credible information as to why the form of punishment should be abolished by every state. It is believed
Statistics show that in areas where the death penalty is enforced there are fewer serious crimes being committed. According to Fein (2008), “As of two thousand and ten there are over seventeen thousand under sentence to be put to death...