In this week I learned that one of the US states is in the process of abandoning the death penalty. According to my calculations that would mean that 35 out of the 50 states still have the death penalty. Between 1976 and 2007 1099 executions took place. Of these 57% were white, 34% were black, 7% Hispanic and 2% of other origins. Since 1973 over 120 people have been released from death row on evidence of their innocence. See a summary on the death penalty in the US.
This has always been a very emotional issue and I wondered how people feel about it today. Is the death penalty a deterrent for serious crimes? What about the moral and ethical implications of execution of an innocent person? In South Africa with its high crimes levels, would the death penalty solve any of the problems? Should the death penalty be re-introduced as an emergency measure, would it bother you if the judge sleeps through the trial and only wakes up in time for the final judgment?
J.C.Grobler.
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December 20th, 2007 at 8:42 am
The death penalty is not a deterent. People arent scared of getting caught. What good is the death penalty if the police cant catch the criminals. Secondly, what has the death penalty to do with petty crime, corruption etc? We bungle normal investigations, what are the chances of the police doing a thourough investigation in a death penalty case?