by Mark Hopkins

Created on: September 15, 2007   Last Updated: May 03, 2011

There does seem to be evidence that the death penalty acts as a deterrent to some people and for that reason it should be available to judges. In the UK the death penalty for murder was abolished early in the 1960s. Since then, murder has gone from being almost unheard of to being a daily affair, so routine as to be hardly newsworthy.

It is true that the crime rate had been slowly rising before the death penalty was abolished, but the explosion of violence since has been quite extraordinary. Not all of the increase can be attributed to abolition, of course, since society itself has changed a great deal. However, the absence of the death penalty has meant that no criminal, sexual pervert or street punk needs to worry about what he does. The worst penalty will be jail, with time off for 'good behavior'!

There will always be the deranged few who will kill without thought of the consequences. No penalty will deter them. There will also be 'crimes of passion', carried out in the heat of the moment. Consequently, a mandatory death penalty may not be best. If people know that a judge has it within his or her power to impose a capital sentence, but need not if there are mitigating circumstances, it will be sufficient to give some wrong doers pause for thought. Actually hanging a few of the worst offenders would do even more. Almost as importantly, it will do something to encourage the long suffering, law abiding, majority.

The argument that it is uncivilized for the State to resort to killing its citizens might be more persuasive if there was any evidence that abolition produced a more civilized society. Sadly, in the UK the very opposite seems to be indicated. Judicious and measured use of force as a last resort seems to be necessary and beneficial.

The Liberal do-gooders in the UK have decided smacking a child as a last resort, to correct bad behavior, is tantamount to child abuse and worthy of prosecution. Unsurprisingly, bad behavior and delinquency are on the increase. The same do-gooders have decided guns are bad. No Briton can now legally own a hand gun. Gun crime has not fallen, it has increased massively. Criminals are the only armed people routinely on the streets. They do not need to fear ordinary citizens being able to defend themselves. Most of our Police remain unarmed as well. Needless to say, the do-gooders are vigorously opposed to any attempt to reintroduce the death penalty.

Whatever you do, do not be led down the same street as we have; it leads to chaos.

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