Hi all, so glad we can hang out again. Be warned, this blog may shock you. If I were hired to write this blog, I’d probably be on my way to a firing, squad. And for those of you wondering, I’m not shouting the word “Punishment” in the title, it’s simply capital punishment… which, coincidentally, just happens to be the subject I’m talking about today. Enjoy.
A YouGov poll from earlier this year revealed that 40% of Brits supported bringing back the death penalty. This may not sound like too much of a big deal, it’s less than half, i.e., more people oppose it. But I still feel that 40% is high; I expected it to be much lower.
On the face of it, you can understand why 40% of people are for it. It can sound good on paper, but I’m categorically against it. My reasons for this are numerous.
Firstly, it’s a bit of a weird message to send out. If someone is found guilty of killing someone, surely you’re sending them a mixed message if you say, “You killed someone, which is wrong, so for your punishment, we’re going to… kill you.”. It’s a much more extreme version of hitting your child because they’ve been fighting in school.
Secondly – and this is a bit of a long one, so try to stay with me – what is it we’re trying to achieve with convicted criminals? Does the hope of rehabilitation come into our societal ideas around the prison system? If so, capital punishment can’t be a real consideration, as it removes any chance of rehabilitation.
If we don’t care about rehabilitation, and punishment is all we’re after, we have to ask if the death penalty is actually a worse punishment than life in prison? It could be argued that having to live the rest of your life behind bars is more punishing than death.
At this point, a pro-death penalty person might say, “But life doesn’t mean life; they’ll be out in 20 years.”. Maybe that’s true. Circling briefly back to whole rehabilitation debate, is a criminal not entitled to do their time and then reintegrate back into society decades later? If I pull at that thread too much, I could probably write a whole blog post just on that, so I’ll leave that one there.
To keep it simple, let’s say that I agree that sentences aren’t long enough; the next logical step isn’t, “let’s kill them instead.”. The next logical step should look at increasing incarceration sentences and exploring the challenges around that (prison overcrowding, allocation of tax payers’ money, civil rights etc.).
My third reason for opposing capital punishment is the general unreliability of our justice system. I don’t know how many people currently serving prison sentences have been wrongly convicted; it’d be impossible to ever get an accurate number for this. But I know the number isn’t zero. The law of averages dictates that there must be some prisoners locked up for crimes they didn’t commit.
You hear about these stories often. About some bloke who’s been locked up for 20 years, where after new evidence has come to light, is suddenly exonerated. These stories are heartbreaking, and I always feel so terrible for innocent people who have ended up doing jail time. But do you know what would make me feel worse? If we’d killed an innocent person for a crime they didn’t commit.
Stating the obvious, but there are no second chances once you’ve killed someone. That can’t be overturned. Yes it’s terrible that innocent people sometimes get locked up, but at least they have a chance to get out and enjoy what’s left of their life. I think they usually get a bit of financial compensation too. Not that money makes up for your freedom being stolen from you for years, but it doesn’t hurt.
Imagine the conversation you’d have to have with mortified families. “Sorry Mrs Smith, remember 10 years ago when we hanged your husband for the murder of that young woman? Some new DNA evidence has come to light, turns out it wasn’t your husband who killed her after all.”
My final reason for being against the death penalty is that it just doesn’t work as any sort of deterrent. When the death penalty in the UK was abolished in the 1960s, there wasn’t a sudden surge in crime; law breaking levels remained more or less the same.
Looking across the pond to our American counterparts makes for the most compelling case study into whether capital punishment is a deterrent. Because of the somewhat unique setup their country has, with the death penalty being legal in some states and outlawed in others, I think the figures speak for themselves. In states without the death penalty, serious crimes are no higher per capita than states with the death penalty.
Which means fear of a state execution apparently does little to nothing to dissuade people from committing crimes. And if it isn’t an effective deterrent, surely there can be no solid argument for capital punishment?
I’d like to think that a reintroduction of the death penalty wouldn’t happen in modern Britain. Then again, I also didn’t think we’d spend £1.4 billion a year to deport refugees to Rwanda, so what the hell do I know?
Thanks for reading. If you didn’t like some of the things I’ve said above, hey, don’t shoot the messenger. That’s the last death related pun, I promise. Until next time, stay healthy and stay safe. I’m off for a quick game of hangman. Sorry.
Rob Recommends
The Mandalorian – TV – 10/10
In my last blog, I mentioned that I thought Obi-Wan Kenobi was just ok. The Mandalorian is different gravy; it’s so good! It has that rare quality where although it is part of a large universe – that has a huge, dedicated fanbase – it is good enough to appeal to non-Star Wars fans too.
Essentially a western set within the Star Wars universe, the story follows a Mandalorian bounty hunter on a mission. Although he has his own task to complete, he often gets roped into the politics of the town/city/planet he happens to be travelling through.
A fantastic story, told beautifully by an array of very talented directors. The show is gorgeously shot and the whole thing just looks incredible. A final note (pun intended) on the music. The music in this show is something else. Some of it sounds Star Wars-y, but a lot of it doesn’t. This is worth watching for the music alone. It’s just great.
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