149 lines
8.7 KiB
Plaintext
149 lines
8.7 KiB
Plaintext
___ ___ ___
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___|: |___|: \ ___|: \ DizDate: 12/95
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_______\___ \___ \___ ___\_______ WordCount: 1354
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«¬¬¬¬¬¬| |: | |____| ___|¬¬¬¬¬¬«
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«¬¬¬¬¬| | |: | |: |¬¬¬¬¬« Subject/Topic is on:
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«¬¬¬¬| |: | |: | |¬¬¬¬« [Capital Punishment is the ]
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----\___|: |\__ |\__ |---- [only acceptable punishment. ]
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Grade Level: [ ]Grade School Type of Work: [x]Essay/Report/Term
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[x]High School [ ]Informational
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[ ]College [ ]Notes
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[ ]Misc
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
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Capital Punishment deters murder, and is just Retribution Capital
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punishment, is the execution of criminals by the state, for committing
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crimes, regarded so heinous, that this is the only acceptable punishment.
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Capital punishment does not only lower the murder rate, but it's value as
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retribution alone is a good reason for handing out death sentences.
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Support for the death penalty in the U.S. has risen to an average of 80%
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according to an article written by Richard Worsnop, entitled "Death penalty
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debate centres on Retribution", this figure is slightly lower in Canada
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where support for the death penalty is at 72% of the population over 18
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years of age, as stated in article by Kirk Makir, in the March 26, 1987
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edition of the Globe and Mail, titled "B.C. MPs split on Death Penalty".
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The death penalty deters murder by putting the fear of death into
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would be killers. A person is less likely to do something, if he or she
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thinks that harm will come to him. Another way the death penalty deters
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murder, is the fact that if the killer is dead, he will not be able to kill
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again.
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Most supporters of the death penalty feel that offenders should be
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punished for their crimes, and that it does not matter whether it will
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deter the crime rate. Supporters of the death penalty are in favour of
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making examples out of offenders, and that the threat of death will be
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enough to deter the crime rate, but the crime rate is irrelevant.
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According to Isaac Ehrlich's study, published on April 16, 1976,
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eight murders are deterred for each execution that is carried out in the
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U.S.A. He goes on to say, "If one execution of a guilty capital murderer
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deters the murder of one innocent life, the execution is justified." To
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most supporters of the death penalty, like Ehrlich, if even 1 life is
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saved, for countless executions of the guilty, it is a good reason for the
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death penalty. The theory that society engages in murder when executing
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the guilty, is considered invalid by most supporters, including Ehrlich.
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He feels that execution of convicted offenders expresses the great value
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society places on innocent life.
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Isaac Ehrlich goes on to state that racism is also a point used by
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death penalty advocates. We will use the U.S. as examples, since we can
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not look at the inmates on death row in Canada, because their are laws in
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Canada that state that crime statistics can not be based on race, also the
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fact that there are no inmates on death row in Canada. In the U.S. 16 out
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of 1000 whites arrested for murder are sentenced to death, while 12 of 1000
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blacks arrested for murder were sentenced to death. 1.1% of black inmates
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on death row were executed, while 1.7% of white inmates will die.
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Another cry for racism, as according to Ehrlich, that is raised by
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advocates of the death penalty is based on the colour of the victim, for
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example "if the victim is white, it is more likely that the offender will
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get the death penalty than if the victim had been black". This is true, if
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you look at the actual number of people who are murder. More people kill
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whites and get the death penalty, then people who kill blacks and get the
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death penalty. The reason for this is that more whites are killed, and the
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murders captured. Now if we look at the number of blacks killed it is a
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lot less, but you have to look at these numbers proportionately. Percent
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wise it is almost the same number for any race, so this is not the issue.
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In a 1986 study done by Professor Stephen K. Layson of the
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University of North Carolina, the conclusions made by Ehrilich were
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updated, and showed to be a little on the low side as far as the deterrence
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factor of capital punishment. Professor Layson found that 18 murders were
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deterred by each execution is the U.S. He also found that executions
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increases in probability of arrest, conviction, and other executions of
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heinous offenders.
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According to a statement issued by George C. Smith, Director of
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Litigation, Washington Legal Foundation, titled "In Support of the Death
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Penalty", support for the death penalty has grown in the U.S., as the crime
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rate increased. In 1966, 42% of Americans were in favour of capital
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punishment while 47% were opposed to it. Since the crime rate United
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states has increased, support for the capital punishment has followed suit.
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In 1986, support for capital punishment was 80% for and only 17% against
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with 3% undecided, but most of the undecided votes said they were leaning
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toward a pro capital punishment stance, if they had to vote on it
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immediately.
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Let us now focus on Canada. The last two people to be executed, in
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Canada were Arthur Lucas and Ron Turpin. They were executed on December
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11, 1962. The executions in Canada were carried out by hanging. 1
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The death penalty was abolished in Canada in the latter part of
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1976, after a debate that lasted 98 hours. The death penalty was only
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beaten by 6 votes. If we look back to 1976, the year the death penalty was
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abolished in Canada, threats of death, were being made to Members of
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Parliament and their immediate families from pro death penalty advocates.
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Most members of parliament, voted on their own personal feelings, as
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opposed to the views of their voters.2
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The same was the case in British Colombia, where accepting of the
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death penalty, if it was reinstated 1987 , by the federal government was
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discussed. The M.P.s were split, 17 out of 29 were for the death penalty.
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This showed, that even the majority of the M.P.s were in favour of the
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death penalty in B.C. Support for the death penalty in British Columbia at
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the time was almost 70%, but the M.P.s felt that it was up to them to vote
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how they felt was right, and not to vote on which vote would give them the
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best chance for a second term.3
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In 1987, the Progressive Conservative government wanted to hold a
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free vote on the reinstatement of Capital punishment, but Justice minister
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Ray Hnatyshyn, who was opposed to it, pressured the M.P.s, into voted
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against the bill. Ray Hnatyshyn, was the deciding factor, if not for him,
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it was widely believed that the reinstatement of capital punishment would
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have gone through, and the death penalty would be a reality today.4
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Capital punishment is such a volatile issue, and both sides are so
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deeply rooted in their views that they are willing to do almost anything to
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sway all of the people they can to their side.
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We personally feel, and our views are backed up by proof, in the
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form of studies by the likes of Isaac Ehrlich's 1975 and Prof. Stephen K.
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Layson's, that was published in 1986, and polls that have been taken both
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in Canada and the United States over the past few years. All of these
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studies and surveys show that capital punishment is a valid deterrent to
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crime, and obviously the public, and society as a whole are in favour of
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it. The death penalty makes would be capital offenders think about weather
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committing a crime is really worth their lives. Even if capital punishment
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did not deter crime, the simple fact that it will allow society to "get
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even" with murders. Capital punishment also insures peace of mind because
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it insures that murders will never kill again.
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1 From: Take Notice, (Copp Clarke Pitman Ltd., 1979) page 163
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2 From: Article written by David Vienneau published in the March 24, 1987
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edition of the "Toronto Star", titled, Debate Agonizing for MPs.
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3 From: Article written by Kirk Makir, published in March 26, 1987 edition
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of the "Globe and Mail", titled, BC MPs Split on Death Penalty Debate.
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4 From: Article written by Hugh Winsor, published in April 29, 1987
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edition of the "Globe and Mail", titled, Debate on Death Penalty placed on
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hold.
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