How about the abolition of capital punishment in Europe, here is some food for thought---- Capital punishment was banned in the Netherlands in 1870, although the last execution (by hanging) was performed in 1861. During WW II the Dutch government (i think based in London during WW II) changed the law and included capital punishment for people who had betrayed other people, etc.
152 people were inflicted with capital punishment, but only 40 people were really executed. The others were sentenced for life (also because the law was changed again in 1952).
Other countries:
In Belgium capital punishment remained part of the law until 1996, but the last execution was performed in 1950. During WW II 242 men were shot.
In the United Kingdom capital punishment was abolished for ordinary crimes in 1973, in (West) Germany in 1949 and in Switserland and the Scandinavian countries the capital punishment was also banned before WW II.
For a list of abolitionist and retentionist countries (August 1997), check the Amnesty International site on the death penalty.
Arguments against capital punishment (also from the encyclopedia):
It works counterproductive.
Countries/states with capital punishment have higher crime and murder rates than countries/states without! However, this can be a chicken/egg problem: what causes what?
It is irreversible.
Mistakes are quite common.
No one has the right to kill another person.
The government gives a bad example, which can be related to argument 1.
It is more a punishment for the relatives and family.
In practice it is more expensive than sentence for life.
This is because convicts always appeal to a higher court and the process takes years anyway.
Actually the only argument for capital punishment is the demand for retribution. Quite a childish argument in my opinion. Civilized people should not think in terms of retribution. (It always amazes me how a so-called civilized country like the US can be so medieval on many points.)
Nowadays capital punishment is not questioned at all in most European countries. For example, even the horrible child abuse of Marc Dutroux in Belgium hardly leads to a call of the people for re-introduction of capital punishment. Of course, most people have the idea that persons like Dutroux are better off dead, but the general feeling is that no one has the right to actually perform the execution.
This is more or less my own opinion too: since there is nobody in this world who can be considered as an executioner, capital punishment can never be an option.
- By Tainari88
- By wat0n
- By litwin