Should Capital Punishment Stay Illegal in Canada?

The death penalty is a barbaric, antiquated and regressive act. It is plain cruel and unnecessary. Canada has abolished the death penalty and it has never came back since late 1998. Why should everyone be against it? There are many valid reasons as to why the populous world should be against this act.

Finally many people say that they do not want thier taxes to go to feed criminals in prison however Statistics from the Death Penalty Information Centre show that Maryland has spent “$186 million dollars on five executions” and California’s cost is roughly “$90,000 per year per inmate. With

Some may be shocked to be informed that capital punishment actually costs more than life in prison; that is without parole. Many would figure that the costs would be less for the death penalty because of the food, place of living for the prisoners, etc., but quite frankly, it costs more for a prisoner to be punished to death rather than to having life in prison (Hyden). Some state’s taxes differ but for the state of California, capital punishment costs taxpayers more than $114 million a year (Bushman). Additionally, the taxpayers of California spend $250 million per execution (Bushman). According to the nonpartisan state legislative analyst’s office, the average cost of imprisoning an inmate was around $47,000 per year in 2008-09. In comparison, the death penalty can lead to an additional $50,000 to 90,000 per year, according to the studies found (Ulloa). In more studies, they have estimated the taxpayers to spend $70 million per year on incarceration, plus $775 million on additional federal legal challenges to convictions, and $925 million on automatic appeals with the initial challenges to death penalty cases

There are many different forms of execution in the United States, such as electrocution, lethal injection, lethal gas, hanging, and firing squad. All of which should stay illegal in Canada. It is extremely inhumane to put someone’s life away to demonstrate the power of the law. Even good people make mistakes and deserve a second chance. With the death penalty there is no second chance. Also it doesn’t reduce crime rate, in fact it’s a crime itself, and encourages violence. It is also very expensive to administer the death penalty, it’s about the same amount of money it would cost to keep an inmate in jail for life.

In conclusion not only is the death penalty a cruel and unlawful punishment, but when the right to live freely is denied it is also a violation of basic human rights. There are around 140 countries that have abolished the death penalty, with still no international law forbidding the use of it. Nevertheless, Canada has spent around 15-20 billion on the Criminal Justice system in hopes that it will help solve crime. In the end, most Canadians would agree that bringing back the death penalty is a dishonest punishment, with permanent results and in no way promises that it will help decrease the crime rate and keep Canadians safe.

Capital Punishment in Canada dates back to Canada’s earliest history, such as its period as a French Colony and in 1759, as a British Colony. 1,481 people were sentenced to death and 710 were executed before the elimination of the death penalty in Canada. Before 1859, Canada operated under the British law. About 230 offences, including being found disguised in a forest and stealing

Canada should bring back capital punishment because the crime happening today can be stop; one reason to get rid from this issue is if death penalty starts over in this nation because then every person will think before they misdeed because of the fear from the government law and this can change not only one person’s thinking, but will change a lot criminals thoughts with fear, and if this punishment comes back then it is the best lesson to teach for country because this will make Canada a guarded nation with fewer crimes and having less crime in Canada will keep the nation towards the success for this beautiful land, and Why shouldn't Canada adopt this capital punishment if it makes Canada more secure with crime only to bring fear?

Since 1978 the state of California has successfully executed 13 people on death row. For decades capital punishment still remains the answer to violent and heinous crimes of the convicted. The death penalty delays closure for the families and majority are often flawed and overturned. Capital punishment causes problems within itself, those such as the cost to keep the public policy running. It is committed by an individual or insisted upon by the government, killing is still cruel in any form that it is given. Even though it is a

Capital punishment, within the Canadian context, has enjoyed a long and controversial history. First enacted as a punishment for the act of murder, its use and subsequent abolition have been the source of significant legislative debates that have contributed to a shift in penal philosophy. Moving away from the principle of lex talionis, the Canadian government—between 1957 and 1967—began to commute death sentences across the nation. This desire to limit the use of capital punishment would finally culminate in its removal form legislation in 1976.

With all the jails in the United States being overcrowded with convicts with serious crimes, and doing life without parole. I start to wonder what the impact would be if the United States allowed the death penalty to be used in all fifty states?

Since 2000, there have been over 200 exonerations from death row. More than half of these exonerations are because of DNA evidence that is found which proves a defendant innocent. The reason for these exonerations is that people make mistakes, there is no way to be fully positive of somebody else’s guilt. In some cases, evidence found against a defendant could just come down to bad timing. People may agree or disagree with capital punishment because it can become a very controversial topic. The main argument against the death penalty is that it is no longer morally correct and goes against certain beliefs. The death penalty should remain illegal in Canada because it costs more for taxpayers than life without the possibility of parole, it

In 1984, former NFL player Kermit Alexander lost his mother, sister and two nephews due to a gang related shooting on the wrong family. The Alexander's family was not supposed to be targeted, it was a miss communication between the gang members. Alexander was so full of rage that he prowled the streets at night in search of the members that did this to his family, his goal was to give revenge for what they had done. The only reason he did not become a killer himself was because the mayor Tom Bradley made him promise to let it go and let the law handle the situation from there and in 1986 the killer, Cox was found and sentenced to death. Capital Punishment should be allowed because it stops the killer's from being able to kill again, it provides some closure for the families who have lost a loved one, and it is a deterrent showing what will be done to you if you do these heinous crimes.

Though Canada abolished death penalty for almost 30 years, there are many public opinion still supporting restore capital punishment today.Whether capital punishment will restore is a disputed issue. People who in flavour of capital punishment are mostly believed that it can decline criminals, and also make people fear capital punishment. People who supporting

The United States of America, and nations worldwide mourned the execution of Troy Anthony Davis on September 22 of 2011. He was a convicted felon sentenced to death for the murder of a police officer in the state of Georgia. Davis became the face of capital punishment before and after his execution, causing uproar from the public and public figures worldwide. In an interview for CNN, Germany’s junior minister for human rights, Marcus Loening, stated, “There are still serious doubts about his guilt. An execution is irreversible – a judicial error can never be repaired” (Wilkinson). Georgia, along with thirty-two other states, considers capital punishment constitutional. The eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution states “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted” (Cornell). Why is it then, that the United States Supreme Court finds capital punishment constitutional? Through an array of research of law and philosophy behind the death penalty, one must keep in mind that these are people’s lives in discussion. The United States holds justice, liberty, and freedom as central to its democracy. However, it practices capital punishment on the same scale as a communist country like China, a broken government country like Iran and an absolute monarchy country like Saudi Arabia. The Death Penalty is the ultimate punishment when seeking justice for a crime so heinous that a life sentence would not

A poll taken showed that 60% of citizens in the United Kingdom wanted Capital Punishment re-instated, even more people wanted it in cases of murder with Police Officers or children involved.