Outline BEL 492

Name                                       :  Omar Adli bin Mohd Azmi

Student ID                                :  2010516097
Faculty / Group                       :  BM2263C
Lecturer                                   :  Mdm. Nagamany
Title of speech                         :  Death Penalty Should Be Abolished
 
1.  INTRODUCTION

            1.1 Most countries around the world already abolished death penalty while at least 23
countries still carried out the executions in 2010.

            1.2 Statistic came out that China carried out greatest number of executions that more
than 1000 people last year. It is far more than total executions than the rest of the world put
together.

            1.3 Method of executions includes beheading, electrocusion, gassing, hanging, lethal
injection, shooting and stoning.

            1.4 Death penalty commonly applied for casses like murder, rape, armed robbery and
drug trafficking. However, in China the list of offences which can result into executions includes
tax evasion, fraud, bigamy, publication of pornographic material, cyber crimes, apostasy,
blasphemy, adultery, prostitution and homosexuality. Iran is among the country that still
execute child offender that is people under age of 18. Some states in U.S also execute people
with mental illness.
 

2. BODY
 
            2.1  What supporters says
 
(i)            Retribution - The taking of a criminal’s life allows society to
show convincingly that certain crimes will not be tolerated. They are
considered so heinous that executing the criminal is the only reasonable
response.

(ii)          Deterrent - Potential criminals will think twice before breaking

the law for fear of losing their life. because it's cheaper than keeping
people in prison

(iii)         Safety - Once a convicted criminal is executed, we don’t have to

worry anymore about that person. There is no chance of them escaping
or getting parole or somehow coming out of jail, to repeat their crimes.

(iv)         Cost - Once someone is executed and buried, there are no

further maintenance costs to the state.
 (v)          Justice for the victim and their families - The rights of the victims
are more important than the rights of the criminal. Although the victim
and the victim’s family cannot be restored to the status which preceded
the crime, at least an execution brings closure to the criminal and closure
to the ordeal for the victim’s family.
 
            2.2 Why death penalty should be abolished
 
(i)                 End the Cycle of Violence - The death penalty only serves to
further brutalize society. Vengeance is a strong and natural emotion but
the demand for a life in retribution should have no place in a civilized
justice system. Our aim should be more humane and holistic responses to
the growth of (violent) crime, including paying attention to root causes
such as poverty and injustice. there is in fact no evidence of a deterrent
effect

(ii)               Lack of Deterrence - The overwhelming conclusion from years

of deterrence studies is that the death penalty at best is no more of a
deterrent than a sentence of life in prison. Murders are often committed
in the heat of the moment. Not much thought is given to the punishment
at that particular time.saving money can never be a justification for
taking someone's life.

(iii)         Value of human life - Far from enhancing the value of human
life, the death penalty lowers it. It violates the belief in the human
capacity to change (i.e. negates the principle of rehabilitation of
offenders) and reinforces the idea that killing is a reasonable response to
those who have wronged us.

(iv)         Cost - There are costs, for example to maintain state of the art
execution techniques and personnel and huge costs in terms of the
inevitable series of appeals through the court system.

(v)          Unfairness - The death penalty is prone to being unfairly

administered. Many argue that those facing capital punishment are not
the worst offenders but merely the ones who may suffer from prejudice
against them (for example, racism) and/or with the fewest resources to
defend themselves.

(vi)         Chance of Error - No justice system is infallible. There are very

many instances where the wrong people have been convicted and killed,
by us, the state.
 
3. Conclusion
            3.1       too many innocent people already been put to death throughout history.
3.2       some criminal are good to be put to death. But it not be appropriates to
ordinary crimes to be prosecuted with the same way.
3.3       Our prison and justice systems are not infallible. Mistakes can and have
been made. And, in maintaining the death sentence, innocent people will be
killed, their lives taken away, their families and loved ones as devastated as
those of victims we seek to protect.