...Appendix 2 Rights or Wrongs? Public attitudes towards moral values. Stephen Rule Are South Africans apathetic about their beliefs or highly tolerant of diverse opinions and behaviour? South Africa is renowned for having one of the most liberal constitutions in the world, but an HSRC representative national survey of 4 980 adults (aged 16 and older) during September and October 2003, indicates that Government policy on “moral” issues is more “progressive” than the attitudes of the electorate. Since the 1994 change of Government, the Termination of Pregnancy Act has been passed to permit abortion. Similarly, discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and capital punishment for persons found guilty of murder, have been made unconstitutional. But according to the survey, most South Africans oppose abortion, same-sex adult sexual relationships and support capital punishment. All three issues are, however, hotly contested in civil society. Pro-life activists are objecting strongly to the termination of 300 000 pregnancies since 1996. Divisions exist within the Christian community with respect to consensual sex between adults of the same gender. The re-introduction of the death penalty is policy for several political parties. Public opinion gauged by the HSRC’s 2003 South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS) reflects this contestation. More than half (56%) of South African adults think that abortion is “always wrong” in the event of it being discovered that there is a strong...
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...Death Penalty Death penalty or capital punishment is the killing person by judicial process as a punishment for an offense. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offenses. People have different opinion about this issue. Some people support death penalty and some people are against death penalty. It is very hard to decide what is right thing with this issue, but both sides have good reasons why should and why we should not have death penalty. In “The Federal Death Penalty as a Safety Valve” the author asserts that “Fifteen states do not have a death penalty, and yet the federal government can federally prosecute capital cases on historically state-prosecuted violent crimes”(Mysliwiec 255). The author thinks that government has to much power when it comes to the death penalty. In U.S. states have power to decide do they want to have death penalty or not. This depends on who is majority in government. Usually republicans are for death penalty and democrats are against death penalty. In “Death penalty views in China, Japan and U.S” the author shows us the study where we can see the level of death penalty support and views on capital punishment among college students from China, Japan and U.S. (Jiang 1). This study is very interesting because we can see how young people from these countries are thinking and what is they opinion about this issue. It was found that Chinese respondents reported the highest level of death penalty support, followed...
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...Bibliography Delcour, Julie. "The Cost of the Death Penalty Outweighs Its Benefits to Society." The Death Penalty. Ed. Jenny Cromie and Lynn M. Zott. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Capital Punishment a Costly Option." www.tulsaworld.com 4 Sept. 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. Delcour argues that the Death penalty is the most expensive, financially impractical for convicted murderers/criminals. She states that capital punishment is more expensive than life in prison without parole. She also implies that it’s impractical if many law enforcement officers believe its useless and a waste of money. Delcour is an associate editor at Tulsa World in Oklahoma. A lot more articles by her are at www.tulsaworld .com, her current article is about the case of Michael Brown. Dieter, Richard C. "The Death Penalty Cannot Be Reformed and Should Be Abolished.” The Death Penalty. Ed. Jenny Cromie and Lynn M. Zott. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Struck by Lightning: The Continuing Arbitrariness of the Death Penalty Thirty-Five Years After Its Re-Instatement in 1976." Vol. 3. 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. Dieter argues that the death penalty is unfair even though there have been various reforms; he backs his information with how big decline has been when it comes to across the country. He say that various ‘fixes’ in the death penalty has failed us even more and not helped at...
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...of Georgia. Protests that the evidence against him was flawed proved fruitless. Despite these cases the death penalty, on the statute books since the days of Hammurabi, is disappearing in much of the world. More than two-thirds of countries have done away with it either in law or in practice. The latest is Benin. In August the west African country committed itself to abolishing capital punishment permanently. The number of countries that carry out judicial killings fell from 41 in 1995 to 23 in 2010, according to Amnesty International, a pressure group. China (chiefly), Iran, North Korea, and Yemen accounted for most of the executions. Votes against the death penalty at the UN General Assembly have passed with big and growing majorities since 2007. Capital punishment has virtually gone in Europe (only Belarus still uses it, most recently in 2010). This year China whittled down its list of crimes punishable by death. Yet for all the apparent momentum, capital punishment remains entrenched in the Middle East and north Africa, and in parts of Asia, notably China. Jacqueline Macalesher of Penal Reform International, a lobby group, thinks the Arab spring could be a new spur to abolition, though she worries that executing political enemies may prove attractive in the short run. The other big exception is America, where two-thirds of states still have the death penalty. A leading Republican candidate for the presidency, Rick Perry, is governor of Texas, the state that uses it...
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...Capital Punishment Capital punishment or the Death Penalty is the execution of a person by judicial process as a punishment for an offense. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The death penalty has been a staple in the justice system of America since its inception. In the United States Death Penalty is agreed by almost 78% of Republican with approximately 52% Democratic. Though very controversial, it has stood the test of time as the ultimate punishment. Many countries are currently abolishing their death penalty practice. America, on the other hand, has 38 of 50 states with laws regarding the death penalty. It seems the United States requires the death penalty more than ever due to the increased rate of violent crime. In modern time, it’s a high controversial topic due to the increase of crime rates in USA and in other countries in the world. Death Penalty is an undivided part of history of mankind ever since humans have started to live in society. From, the time of Vikings to the time of Saddam Hussein Death Penalty is something that follows the Death Penalty for one or another reason! However, the main intense among all those is to reduce the crime factor in society. Death Penalty is sentenced to someone when he/she does something that harms others or the community severely. Such as, to kill someone, to attack someone with an intense to kill them, to physically abuse in other...
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...infliction of death as a penalty for violating criminal law. It has been around for thousands of years and still continues to execute people today. Capital Punishment is inhumane and in some cases sentences the innocent to death. It is obviously the most severe form of criminal punishment. Being morally unjust, the purpose of it has no significance. Killing a person for their wrongdoings does not in anyway help our society. Capital Punishment must be abolished. Capital Punishment originated in Ancient Times. The first evidence of capital punishment is from Hammurabi’s Code, a book of Babylonian Law, from 1700 B.C. Hammurabi himself suggested: “an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth.” Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross. This is one form of capital punishment. The bible talks about capital punishment. One example of capital punishment in the bible is “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death” (Exodus 21:12). It also suggest stoning a woman is she has unmarried sex. By the end of the 15th century, England had recognized 7 major crimes that deserved the death penalty. Throughout the 1800’s more than 200 crimes were recognized as punishable by death. Many countries in our present day world applied the death penalty throughout the past. Some reasons for the death penalty include betraying the King or Queen, going against ones religion, cheating on your spouse, theft, murder, burglary, rape, and arson. Also, in early Egypt one could be put to death for disclosing...
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...with the death penalty, and they must change. These states need to abolish it on the grounds that it carries a dangerous risk of punishing the innocent, is unethical and barbaric, and is an ineffective deterrent of crime versus the alternative of life in prison without parole. Capital punishment is the most irreparable crime governments perpetrate without consequence, and it must be abolished. “We’re only human, we all make mistakes,” is a commonly used phrase, but it is tried and true. Humans, as a species, are famous for their mistakes. However, in the case of the death penalty, error becomes too dangerous a risk. The innocent lives that have been taken with the approval of our own government should be enough to abolish capital punishment. According to Amnesty International, “The death penalty legitimizes an irreversible act of violence by the state and will inevitably claim innocent victims.” If there is any chance that error is possible (which there always is), the drastic measure of capital punishment should not be taken. Also, it is too final, meaning it does not allow opportunity for th accused to be proven innocent, a violation of the Fifth Amendment which guarantees due process of law. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan argued against the death penalty: “In brief, the Court found that the best available evidence indicates that, on the one hand, innocent people are sentenced to death with materially...
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...Level 6 Name Teacher Benefits of Capital Punishment In order to understand this topic is important to define ´´Capital punishment´´, which is also called death penalty, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica is ´´the execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense´´ published on Apr. 25, 2008. This type of punishment has been used for many years, in almost all societies and religions. In most countries (Saudi Arabia, Africa, Somalia, and United States) this count of method it is reserved from those who commit murder, treason, but there are other countries where it is applied for those who commit sexual felonies, such as rape, incest, pedophilia, adultery. On the other hand, crimes as drug traffic are considered capital punishment as well. In China, human trafficking, and other corruption cases lead to the death penalty. In this context, there are many people who are against capital punishment, as said by the Abolitionists, death penalty or capital punishment is not only is an act of violence but also a crime, it is considered an inhumane act tolerating the killing of another human being. In fact, it is intricate that the government allows this type of punishment since is taking away the life of a human being as a solution to fight against crime and violence. They argue that violence should never be the answer for the problems that the society is going through. Although, the society that we are living now is full of...
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...Death Penalty Murder is wrong. Since childhood we have been taught this indisputable truth. Ask yourself, then, what is capital punishment? In its simplest form, capital punishment is defined as one person taking the life of another. Coincidentally, that is the definition of murder. There are 36 states with the death penalty, and they must change. These states need to abolish it on the grounds that it carries a dangerous risk of punishing the innocent, is unethical and barbaric, and is an ineffective deterrent of crime versus the alternative of life in prison without parole. Capital punishment is the most irreparable crime governments perpetrate without consequence, and it must be abolished. “We’re only human, we all make mistakes,” is a commonly used phrase, but it is tried and true. Humans, as a species, are famous for their mistakes. However, in the case of the death penalty, error becomes too dangerous a risk. The innocent lives that have been taken with the approval of our own government should be enough to abolish capital punishment. According to Amnesty International, “The death penalty legitimizes an irreversible act of violence by the state and will inevitably claim innocent victims.” If there is any chance that error is possible (which there always is), the drastic measure of capital punishment should not be taken. Also, it is too final, meaning it does not allow opportunity for th accused to be proven innocent, a violation of the Fifth Amendment which...
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...executions. For instance, in the late 18th century, when all murder in the United States was punishable by death, Pennsylvania pioneered in dividing murder into two categories. The state enacted laws that authorized punishment of first-degree murder by death, while second-degree murder was punishable by imprisonment only. Elsewhere, penal codes uniformly required death for certain serious crimes. In these jurisdictions, discretionary powers to commute death sentences gradually expanded. (A commutation substitutes a lesser penalty for a more severe one—for example, replacing execution with a life sentence.) Today in many nations, including Turkey and Japan, the death penalty remains legal but the number of executions has declined over time. Although many jurisdictions limited imposition of the death penalty, no government had formally abolished capital punishment until Michigan did so in 1846. Within 20 years Venezuela (1863) and Portugal (1867) had formally eliminated the practice as well. By the beginning of the 20th century the death sentence had been abolished in a handful of nations, such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Norway, and The Netherlands. Although not formally eliminated, it had fallen into disuse in many others, including Brazil, Cape Verde, Iceland, Monaco, and Panama. The defeat of the Axis powers provided a foundation for the elimination of the death penalty in Western Europe. Some of the nations involved in the war saw abolition of capital punishment as a...
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...Capital punishment, also called death penalty, is the execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense. The practice of executing people for certain crimes is very old; in fact, the term itself dates to a Latin root, capitalis, which means “of the head,” a reference to a common execution method used in Roman times. Currently 58 nations actively practice it, 97 countries have abolished it, and the remainders have not used it for 10 years or allow it only in exceptional circumstances such as wartime. However, It is a matter of active controversy in various countries as it violates human rights. What Is Capital Punishment Capital punishment is a practice in which prisoners are executed in accordance with judicial practice when they are convicted of committing what is known as a capital crime or capital offense. In other words, capital punishment or the death penalty is a legal process whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime. The judicial decree that someone be punished in this manner is a death sentence, while the actual process of killing the person is an execution. History Of Capital Punishment Early Laws The first established death penalty laws date as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon, which codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes. The death penalty was also part of the Fourteenth Century B.C.'s Hittite Code; in the Seventh...
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...The current topic on the lips of South African’s is the state of crime and violence in our country. While the crime rate continues to escalate, the government has received numerous petitions demanding the re-instatement of the death penalty. My point of departure on this topic is that killing any number of people would not reduce the escalating rate of crime in South Africa. One needs to deal with the problem realistically. In my view implementing the death penalty is a cosmetic solution to a very real problem. One needs to break down the source of crime control namely the police service, the prison service and the judicial system. Each of these systems need to be analysed critically, flaws need to be identified and rectified constructively. If one looks at the prison service department, much research has indicated that this department is highly stressed and burnt out. Over and above lacking resources, these government workers are paid the lowest salaries. One of the main problems within the police service is bribery and corruption. The source of this corruption and the circumstances that lead to the act of corruption needs to be identified and eradicated. The salary structure as well as promotion opportunities needs to be restructured and redefined. The judicial system is the next tier that controls crime. Corruption within the judicial system is severely exacerbating the crime rate in our country. Corruption within the judicial system needs to be treated as...
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...executions. For instance, in the late 18th century, when all murder in the United States was punishable by death, Pennsylvania pioneered in dividing murder into two categories. The state enacted laws that authorized punishment of first-degree murder by death, while second-degree murder was punishable by imprisonment only. Elsewhere, penal codes uniformly required death for certain serious crimes. In these jurisdictions, discretionary powers to commute death sentences gradually expanded. (A commutation substitutes a lesser penalty for a more severe one—for example, replacing execution with a life sentence.) Today in many nations, including Turkey and Japan, the death penalty remains legal but the number of executions has declined over time. Although many jurisdictions limited imposition of the death penalty, no government had formally abolished capital punishment until Michigan did so in 1846. Within 20 years Venezuela (1863) and Portugal (1867) had formally eliminated the practice as well. By the beginning of the 20th century the death sentence had been abolished in a handful of nations, such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Norway, and The Netherlands. Although not formally eliminated, it had fallen into disuse in many others, including Brazil, Cape Verde, Iceland, Monaco, and Panama. The defeat of the Axis powers provided a foundation for the elimination of the death penalty in Western Europe. Some of the nations involved in the war saw abolition of capital punishment as a...
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...Death penalty in America Death penalty debate has been a daily talk for quite some time now. This has been a very controversial that has engaged many organizations and countries in the debate. Some oppose this form of punishment based on moral and judicial grounds. These grounds include wrongful conviction base on DNA tests. Other grounds include wrongful conviction based on race. Those supporting death penalty argue that death penalty creates a feeling of safety since it instills fear in potential criminals. They also hold that those convicted despite their race actually did the crime they are convicted for. Some countries like Canada and New Zealand do not believe in the administration of death penalty as a means of punishment. Therefore, until today there is no agreed provision used by the judiciary to reach at a decision of such cases. United States, China and Japan among other countries believe that death penalty is a favorable sentence. United States has authorized death penalty in most federal governments, including the military. Some of the methods used in death penalty include the electric chair. Most of these procedures used in death penalty have been considered to be violating constitutional rights. Though fewer legislatures have been made to change these procedures, death penalty should be abolished. This is the position that is appropriate and offer should be supported. It is a racist tool of criminal punishment. Evidences explaining the reasons against this...
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...discriminations was firmly institutionalised in South Africa. The following is a timeline of the various Apartheid Prime Ministers/Presidents all from the National Party of the day that entrenched and kept firm the apartheid regime for the next 46 years. Prime Minister D.F. Malan: 1948-1954 D.F. Malan is seen as the champion of Afrikaner Nationalism. His National Party government started its comprehensive implementation of apartheid. White supremacy, racial segregation and the control of migrant black workers was the order of the day. During his years in office the foundations of the Apartheid regime were firmly laid down. Under his rule the following laws came into being: * Prohibition of mixed marriages Act No. 55 of 1949 * Population registration Act No. 30 of 1950 * Group areas Act No. 41 of 1950 * Immortality amendment Act No. 21 of 1950 * Suppression of communism Act No. 44 of 1950 * Separate representation of voters Act No. 52 of 1951 * Bantu Authorities Act No.68 of 1951 * Native laws amendment Act No. 54 of 1952 * Abolition of passes Act No. 67 of 1952 * Reservation of separate amenities Act No. 49 of 1952 * Bantu education Act No.47 off 1953 These laws removed the last trace of non-white franchise and imposed segregation on almost all aspects of South African life. Prime Minister J.G. Strijdom 1954-1961: J.G. Strijdom was the prime minister of South Africa after D.F. Malan. He was a very uncompromising...
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