In modern society there are a handful of issues that remain highly controversial, among them abortion, gun control, and capital punishment. When someone is sentenced to the death penalty and executed, the official cause of death on the death certificate is listed as homicide. While many oppose state-sanctioned homicide, many others argue that certain kinds of crimes and criminals merit capital punishment as the only means of exacting justice for victims and protecting society. While many anti-death penalty organizations exist, like Amnesty International, the death penalty remains in use in many countries including the United States.
To date, 75 countries have abolished the use of the death penalty, 13 have abolished its use except for crimes defined as exceptional, 20 countries report being abolitionist, and 87 countries still retain the use of capital punishment (Facts 1). When it comes to execution rates, in 1999 alone, 1,813 prisoners were executed in 31 countries and 3,875 people were sentenced to death in 64 countries (Facts 2). Currently, prisoners wait execution in 55 countries (Dority 35). This analysis will analyze different viewpoints on this controversial issue, arguing that the use of the death penalty should remain an option for punishment and deterrence within the criminal justice system. A conclusion will address whether or not capital punishment represents a social problem.
Internationally, the times are changing when it comes to perspective and opinion on capital punishment. In 1998, 120 governments created an International Criminal Court (ICC) for the joint prosecution of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity (Grant 19). What went unpublicized was the fact that the ICC would not impose the death penalty on those convicted. This shows the growing trend toward abolishing the death penalty in international law, but this perspective was not always the case with international perspective on th...