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THE DEATH PENALTY
ICCPR• Article 6:"no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of
his life" • The death penalty:
– Only for the most serious crimes– Not be imposed on pregnant women– Not imposed on those who were under the age of 18
at the time of the crime. • Article 7:"no one shall be subjected to torture or
to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.«
• 1989 Optional Protocol banning death penalty
History of death penalty
• The Bloody Code: 1690-1820 England and Wales
• The USA also adopted the bloody code• 1972 Supreme Court ban on death penalty• 1976 Supreme Court reinstated death penalty• Pro-death penalty judges have changed their
minds
USA
USAExecutions by State
State Total
Executions Executions
in 2014 Executions
in 2013 Executions
in 2012 Executions
in 2011 Executions
in 2010
Texas 518 10 16 15 13 17
Oklahoma 111 3 6 6 2 3
Virginia 110 1 1 3
Florida 89 8 7 3 2 1
Missouri 79 9 2 1
Alabama 56 1 6 5
Georgia 54 1 1 4 2
Ohio 53 1 3 3 5 8
North Carolina
43
South Carolina
43 1
Arizona 37 1 2 6 4 1
Louisiana 28 1
Arkansas 27
Mississippi 21 6 2 3
Indiana 20
Used only for capital murders
Death penalty in the World
Death penalty in the world
China
• Wide range of capital crimes• Economic crimes included• The number of executions are state secrets• Public support for death penalty
Iran• Wide range of crimes• Includes adultery, blasphemy, ghesas
Reyhaneh Jabbari during trial in 2008
Execution Methods
• Stoning• Guillotine• Hanging• Shooting• Electric chair• Gas chamber• Lethal injection
Justifications
• Individuals can be sacrificed for public good– It deters future criminals
• The death penalty is the will of the people• The death penalty is lower-cost than life
imprisonment• It is required for social justice- eye for an eye
Critiques
Does it really deter?
Critiques (deterrence cont’d)
• Bowers and Pierce: “there are more murders in the years that follow death penalty executions”– (1) executions desensitize the public to the
immorality of killing, – (2) the state legitimizes vengeance– (3) executions also have an imitation effect
CritiquesPublic opinion surveys
Critiques
• Marxists: The capitalist system turns humans into animals.
• Individualism and alienation• Socialism makes humans feel social beings
again.
Race and inequalityRace of Defendants Executed in the U.S. Since 1976
Race of Defendants Executed in the U.S. Since 1976
Race and Inequality• Persons Executed for Interracial Murders in
the U.S. Since 1976
Socio-economic inequality
• Ability to afford quality legal representation• Ability to pay the victims’ families