Getting Rid of the Death Penalty
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Getting Rid of the Death Penalty
Capital punishment was a corrective measure that was widely used all over the world. It is difficult to pin point the exact date of its origin but it is a fact that it was practiced intensely during medieval times. Crimes have occurred probably since the beginning of time and therefore there was a need for a counter attack to minimize if not eradicate it completely. Laws were created for this purpose, but like everything man creates they have proved imperfect and in some cases entirely unacceptable.
In Britain, as James B Christoph[1] points out, the major cause for this trend was the social and economic chaos brought about by the Industrial Revolution. The spread of poverty as well as child labor, prostitution and other social evils went hand in hand with unexpected wealth, which sparked off crime. The amazing existence of both these extremes caused insecurity among the lawmakers in Britain resulting in the creation of strict rules, making any offense from stealing turnips to cutting down a tree punishable by death. Some examples he sites show just how obscure the law was.
In 1801, a 13-year-old boy was publicly hanged for breaking into a house and stealing a spoon. In 1808, a 7-year-old girl was hang at Lynn for setting a house on fire. To express concern over the above examples, surely these minors did not deserve the kind of punishment they received. Were these crimes so heinous and diabolically evil that only through execution would everyone else understand the gravity of contemplating such an act?
Passage of time is usually synonymous with change and as usual man is looking for more innovative ways to carry out his daily activities. This pursuit for perfection did not exclude the death penalty. Other methods of carrying out this punishment emerged, some, more blood curdling than the next but still deemed fit by our ancestral “law makers. ”
Beheading was a common practice for the Romans and the Greeks. They considered it honorable and therefore preferred it to hanging. The instruments used were the axe and the sword. Later on, the English also employed beheading as sited by John Lawrence.1[2] He states that William the Conqueror introduced beheading to England and the first unfortunate person to experience it was a man named Waltheof, Earl of Northumberland, in 1076. Differing from the Romans and Greeks, the English reserved this punishment for high-ranking offenders. The range was from Lords to Earls, Dukes to Duchesses and even in some cases Archbishops. Several variations occurred in different countries, for example in Denmark, it was more honorable to be executed by the sword than by the axe. In Sweden, beheading was carried out by axe, and in the case of a woman, after the execution, her body was cremated.
The guillotine, is thought to have been created shortly before the French Revolution.2[3] It consisted of two huge uprights between which a hatchet was placed, and erected on a platform reached by taking 24 steps up. The doomed was tied to a plank, kneeling down, exposing his head. A cord attached to the huge hatchet suspended it and when the time came, all the executioner had to do was cut the cord. Due to its impressive nature, the Constituent Assembly in France decreed that everyone condemned to death would be executed by this method. Once again, these forms of punishment prove too severe for any conceivable crime.
In present day society, with the introduction of human right for all, such a form of punishment is considered disturbing and so it should. This chapter in human history should not be forgotten though, because many people are still emotionally scarred for life be it friends or family of the unfortunate sufferers of this act. Instead, it should be known by all and past on to future generations so that even in the worst of times, such an act should never manifest itself in anyone who has the power to introduce it back into society. On the report shown previously took place in the time not too many of us can say remember. Unfortunately there are still years in history related to the subject matter a little easier to recall.
Chinas Crimes and Punishment3[4] was the heading of a fairly recent magazine, unfortunately the punishment wasnt as lenient as anyone would expect in this day and age. In 1996, China instituted a “strike hard” anti crime campaign to deal with its increased crime rate. An approximation of 6,100 people were sentenced to death in that year alone, 4,367 of which have already faced the consequences.
April 24, 1996, Li Shanwu and Wu Debin, both peasants were accused of stealing 28 television sets. Presently deceased; cause of death, execution. May 16th, Yuan Yujin. Accused of stealing four motorcycles. His crime was punishable by death. Jun 21st, Zhang Jiazi was executed for reportedly performing “highway robbery.” The stolen items were $24 and a watch. Hou Zhijan and Wei Xueming after a public sentencing rally were convicted of theft and were executed. A couple of ballpoint pens and badminton rackets were equivalent to the lives of the two mentioned above, three years ago on June 25th.
On this topic of capital punishment today, there are 3 kinds of people. The indifferent who choose not to meddle in it at all as it is not their concern, the abolitionists who are desperately trying to save the planet of all past, present and future sufferings by standing against the death penalty, and the retentionists. Retentionists as the word suggests, seek to reconstitute the death penalty back into society preferably every cubic mile on earth. One may wonder why anyone would want to do such a thing but unfortunately the answer is even worse than the question. Arguably, there are people who believe the system works owing to a decrease in crime rates during the period it was widely used. It is an opinion like any other and should therefore be respected but when someone yearns for capital punishment, surely the line must be drawn somewhere. Web sites such as “Capital Punishment: Give us Liberty and Give Them Death !!!5” which when accessed, show a sword rotating on its lateral