Capital Punishment
Navi Sahsi - 1740495
English 102 - Section 143
Colleen Irwin
March 14/11
Tommy Douglas’ “Capital Punishment” focuses on the negatives aspects of the death sentence in Canada. “I am in favour of the motion to abolish capital punishment and I am also supporting the amendment to put it on a five-year trial basis” (Tommy Douglas 558). Being a person who lives abroad in the public with millions of others, I must say I disagree with Douglas’ argument as to abolishing the punishment, as I feel having capital punishment would indefinitely reduce the murder rate in our country as well as deter criminals from even having slightest thought of committing a murder in the first place. Also, the notwithstanding clause (Section 33) in our legal system which states the government can override a number of our personal freedoms is an obvious bump in our legal system; which apparently has abolished capital punishment although the system still seems to have enough power to have someone sentenced to death even if it is indirect.
Capital punishment is a very important tool in our criminal justice system today. There are various reasons it should be reinstated in Canada and remain in effect in places where it still takes place. There is undeniable proof that it is in fact a deterrent in committing crimes. “How capital punishment affects murder rates can be explained through general deterrence theory, which supposes that increasing the risk of apprehension and punishment for crime deters individuals from committing crime. Nobel laureate Gary S. Becker's seminal 1968 study of the economics of crime assumed that individuals respond to the costs and benefits of committing crime. According to deterrence theory, criminals are no different from law-abiding people. Criminals rationally maximize their own self-interest subject to constraints (prices, incomes) that they face in the marketplace and elsewhere” (David Muhlhausen 2009). One of the most basic human instincts that we have
English 102 - Section 143
Colleen Irwin
March 14/11
Tommy Douglas’ “Capital Punishment” focuses on the negatives aspects of the death sentence in Canada. “I am in favour of the motion to abolish capital punishment and I am also supporting the amendment to put it on a five-year trial basis” (Tommy Douglas 558). Being a person who lives abroad in the public with millions of others, I must say I disagree with Douglas’ argument as to abolishing the punishment, as I feel having capital punishment would indefinitely reduce the murder rate in our country as well as deter criminals from even having slightest thought of committing a murder in the first place. Also, the notwithstanding clause (Section 33) in our legal system which states the government can override a number of our personal freedoms is an obvious bump in our legal system; which apparently has abolished capital punishment although the system still seems to have enough power to have someone sentenced to death even if it is indirect.
Capital punishment is a very important tool in our criminal justice system today. There are various reasons it should be reinstated in Canada and remain in effect in places where it still takes place. There is undeniable proof that it is in fact a deterrent in committing crimes. “How capital punishment affects murder rates can be explained through general deterrence theory, which supposes that increasing the risk of apprehension and punishment for crime deters individuals from committing crime. Nobel laureate Gary S. Becker's seminal 1968 study of the economics of crime assumed that individuals respond to the costs and benefits of committing crime. According to deterrence theory, criminals are no different from law-abiding people. Criminals rationally maximize their own self-interest subject to constraints (prices, incomes) that they face in the marketplace and elsewhere” (David Muhlhausen 2009). One of the most basic human instincts that we have