Answer To: Research Paper – Drafts of each of the following assignments are due on the dates specified in the...
Rimsha answered on Oct 07 2021
Running Head: DEATH PENALTY 1
DEATH PENALTY 7
IMPACT OF THE DEATH PENALTY IN LOWERING THE CRIME LEVEL IN DANGEROUS REGION
Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Literature Review 3
Thesis 7
Methodology 8
Analysis 10
Conclusion 21
References 23
Introduction
Death penalty or capital punishment has been the long-debated topics since many years. Over the period, some of the countries have abolished the death penalty and most of the countries, whether they have abolished death penalty or not, preferred imprisonment. It has been assumed since ages that, death penalty is an effective tool to control the crime rates and control the people living in the dangerous territory. During 18th and 19th century, it has been assumed that death penalty can be helpful in controlling criminals and developed fear in them. This fear drives the criminals to follow the laws of the society. With passing years, this assumption of the people has been changed, now people considered death penalty as very harsh and brutal punishment.
Although, there are some heinous crimes, which justifies death penalty or death penalty seems too small. These situations, again raises the question in front of everyone that whether death penalty be abolished or practiced to control the dangerous territory. Researchers have been conducting research around this question, yet no research is successful in providing the concrete evidence about the impact of death penalty in lowering the crime levels in dangerous region. Death penalty cannot be considered as final answer to control crimes. Countries such as Canada and Mexico have abolished the death penalty. On the contrary, countries such as Japan, Iran and United States are still practicing death penalty in their respective countries. Following research article is an attempt to use the qualitative research method in identifying whether death penalty is helpful in lowering the crime rates or not.
Literature Review
As mentioned by Haney, Weill and Lynch (2015), death penalty can be defined as a capital punishment, which is used by the government to control the crimes rates. Some of the crimes such as rapes and murders are very much heinous that countries who are using death penalties considered it justified to not to abolish it. Practicing death penalties raised many questions such as whether death penalties have achieved the expected outcome in lowering crime rates especially in dangerous regions where rules are easily bent by criminals on daily basis. As mentioned by Van den Haag and Conrad (2013), there is persistent debate on how taking life of one person can justify the punishment for the murder.
The punishment is given with the motive to provide opportunity to the criminal in becoming better person. Giving death penalty ends that scope of betterment. Another important issue, that death penalty raises, is how accurately criminal is judged and qualified for the death penalty. For example, serial killing and a single murder are not equivalent crime. Giving death penalty, for both crimes, sent the wrong messages to the criminals, killing once, or killing more is justified, punishment will be same.
As mentioned by Hood and Hoyle (2015), there are many factors such as circumstances and situations, in which a person commit crimes like murder. There is lack of proper standards, which can be helpful in deciding whether person must be given death penalty, or not. It has been seen that people like judicial authorities and the panel of the jury play the role in deciding the fate of the person. The decision of given death penalty comes from the old schools’ law. Currently, it is debatable, because people who are giving the death penalty have capability of giving it, although they have power to take decisions.
As noted by Liebman and Clarke (2011), giving death penalty ends the scope of taking back the decision, if at some point, new evidences come in light and convict has been evict from its charges. It will become worthless then as innocent person will be convicted for no reason. This reduces the trust in people towards justice system. As stated by Manski and Pepper (2013), it has been seen that the countries, which do not have death penalties, do not have very high crime rates in comparison to the countries, which give death penalties.
As mentioned by Johnson, Blume, Eisenberg & Hans (2011), death penalty has contributed very low percentage in controlling the crime rates in comparison to other measures used to control crime rates. In dangerous regions, where it is difficult to handle the criminals, capital punishment failed to create the environment of fear among criminals and failed to develop the respect for judicial system out of fear. Criminals who have been conducted heinous crimes usually found loopholes in justice system to get escape. Over the period, the fear of punishment ends with the increase in their rate of escapes.
As stated by Shatz and Shatz (2012), people all over the world have mixed reactions towards the death penalty. Some of the people consider death penalty as beneficial to the society. It can be helpful in controlling the crime rate if not lowering it. Government in some countries believed that giving capital punishment in severe cases is the rightful justice. On the other hand, most of the people believed that death penalty is mere killing people instead of giving them chance to understand what they have done. Most of the people in modern world have been in favor of abolishing death penalty.
As noted by Steiker and Steiker (2015), it has been seen that providing death penalty to the criminals has become last option for the judiciary of the country. Nowadays, death penalty has become the minority punishment in all the countries justice system. Most of the time, criminals were given life imprisonment. Some of the convict are not even given the parole irrespective of the crime. As suggested by Bessler (2012), giving death penalty to the criminals is mainly dependent on the psychology of all the people who are taking decisions and deciding the fate of the criminal. The jury and the judge, who believe that death penalty is the best solution and criminals must not deserve to live, always prefer to give death penalty despite of all the odds.
As suggested by Steinberg (2013), it has been seen that people who believes in the second chances when become judges or jury prefer to give life imprisonment or some years of prison, so that criminals get the second chance to improve themselves and realized their mistakes. As mentioned by Visher and Travis (2012), it has been seen that there is no concrete evidence, which justify that death penalty, is contributing in reducing the crime rates.
As noted by Reggio (2014), it has been seen that death penalty is not a new form of the punishment. Death penalty is the oldest form of the punishment, which has been given to the criminals. Earlier, death penalties were frequent and they could be given for very petty crimes like stealing. In some circumstances, rulers give the death penalty to the people who raised the questions against authorities so that example can be set in front of the public. The era, when death penalties were frequent, did not prefer to give basic rights to humans and believed that death penalties have created fear towards the ruler.
As suggested by Derrida (2013), with the change of government from anarchy to democracy, the mindset of people has also changed. The decision taken for the welfare of the large group is preferred instead of the personal benefits of the ruler. This resulted in change in behavior and thinking of the people towards death penalty. People are empathetic towards the cruelty of the death penalty. Most of them are in favor of abolishing...