does the uk have the death penalty?

The UK does not have the death penalty.

They are part of the EU, and abolishing the death penalty is a condition for EU membership.

I respect the fact that they don't have it, I just wish they'd respect the fact that WE do. Their radical, left wing, hippie government shouldn't interfere with our justice system. Remember the stink they raised over Nick Ingram, and Tracy Housel? Thank goodness they were in Georgia. Georgia doesn't tolerate much interference in their state affairs; neither does Texas. Both men were executed.

I support the death penalty.

To those who are using that lame old deterrent argument, The death penalty does not deter crime, it is not meant to do so. You don't put a vicious dog to sleep to teach other dogs a lesson. You do it to punish HIM; and only HIM. The punishment must fit the crime; death, for the most heinous crimes is absolutely appropriate. Remember, The USA has more people in prison than any other developed nation; we also have the highest crime rate of any developed nation; That means: Prison is NOT a deterrent either. Should we release every one? Of course not.

we don't have the death penalty here in the uk, I personally have no feelings one way or the other, but concidering the various ways we have dispatched our criminals it is probably better we don't although it is still on our staute books.

by that I mean there is still one crime for which it is possible to be given the death penalty and that is treason. we still have a working gallows at wandsworth prison, which are tested every day in the event that they would be needed.

the method that we would use would be hanging!! we dont have the electric chair or lethal injection or the gas chamber, we have in the past had some quite grusome ways of killing off our criminals, such as burning at the stake, beheading, and hanging drawing and quartering, there have been other ways such as the iron maiden.

the general thought these days is that there is no reprieve from being dead and some of hose executed have been found to be innocent many years after the execution, the problem is where do yuou draw the line, if you are going to have the death penalty then you have to accept that mistakes happen and that sometimes the wrong people are killed.

Dave

No. It is also not a case that we may simply "bring it back" as so many of these reactionary people would like. The death penalty is illegal under EU law - no EU member state may even have the death penalty in its law books (there MAY be an exception in war time, I'm not sure) even if the death penalty is not carried out. There were a few capital crimes left in the UK until fairly recently (such as arson in the Queen's docks), these were quietly removed a few years back to comply with changing EU law.

The death penalty is barbaric, expensive, and does not deter crime. There is no need for any country other than a repressive regime to have the death penalty.

Only for dogs who bite.

On 27 January 1999, the UK Home Secretary (The Labour MP Jack Straw) signed the 6th protocol of the European Convention of Human Rights in Strasbourg. This move formally abolishes the death penalty in the UK.

As a member of the Europena Union, the UK isn't allowed to have it. For students writing about this issue, the best place to start is at http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=19... It has links to both sides (click on curriculum) and is user friendly. In the meantime, probably because of the increasing number of death row exonerees, more and more Americans are taking another look at the death penalty system itself.

129 people on death rows have been released with proof that they were wrongfully convicted. DNA, available in less than 10% of all homicides, can’t guarantee we won’t execute innocent people.

The death penalty doesn't prevent others from committing murder. No reliable study shows the death penalty deters others. Homicide rates are higher in states and regions that have it than in those that don’t.

Life without parole, on the books in 48 states, also prevents reoffending. It means what it says, and spending 23 of 24 hours a day locked in a tiny cell is not a picnic. Life without parole costs less than the death penalty.

The death penalty is much more expensive than life in prison, mostly because of the upfront costs of legal process which is supposed to prevent executions of innocent people. (upfront=before and during the initial trial)

The death penalty isn't reserved for the worst crimes, but for defendants with the worst lawyers. It doesn't apply to people with money. When is the last time a wealthy person was on death row, let alone executed?

The death penalty doesn't necessarily help families of murder victims. Murder victim family members have testified that the drawn-out death penalty process is painful for them and that life without parole is an appropriate alternative.

Problems with speeding up the process. Over 50 of the innocent people released from death row had already served over a decade. Speed up the process and we will execute innocent people.

Sources:

Death Penalty Information Center, www.deathpenaltyinfo.org, for stats on executions, reports on costs, deterrence studies, links to FBI crime stats and links to testimony (at state legislatures) of victims' family members.

FBI http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_04.html

The Innocence Project, www.innocenceproject.org

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/COcosttestimony.pd... page 3 and 4 on why the death penalty is so expensive

http://www.njadp.org/forms/signon-survivor.html for statements of victims’ families

Hi there,

Do we have the death penalty, thankfully no we don't, we came to our senses around 40 years ago.

I do not follow any organised religion although was raised as a catholic, now I am more a spiritual person who believes in the sanctity of all life. I find it extremely hard to accept that many religions and countries can be misguided enough to think that official murder is not a crime. I really don't understand how a society or religion can justify this act of barbarianism.

Yes, many crimes are heinous and can leave families totally devastated, they can lead to suicide and dysfunction for people for the rest of their lives.

Would all this stop, would it bring a loved one back if we commit legalised murder? no I don't think so. In my opinion there would be no difference between me and the perpetrator each of us would be taking a life, only our reasons for doing so would be different.

I appreciate that a suitable punishment must be found I am not advocating that these crimes are permittable, only that capital punishment is not.

There are other factors to consider such as innocent people being convicted, and there are many of these unfortunates on both sides of the Atlantic and throughout the so called civilised world.

I hope this post is what you were looking for, Good luck in your studies,

No no no. We are a civilised country. It doesn't work as a deterrent, anyway.

All these Daily Mail readers on here should think a bit harder about this. What if one of their loved ones is accused and wrongly convicted. Would they still be all for it?

The Guilford 4, Birmingham 6 and countless other dodgy convictions would all have been sentenced to death if you had had your way.

How can killing someone in revenge make for a good justice system? Do you honestly think America is a shining example of an honourable system?

Ah, Jamie H: A prime example of the 'guilty until proven innocent' brigade! Still want the severely mentally ill mother and entirely innocent father hung, do you?

They still have the death penalty in the Isle of Man

No we do not. The death penalty cannot be reversed in the event of a miscarriage of justice, and it has not been proven to be an effective deterrent against violent crime.

No we don't. Hanging was suspended in 1965 and completely abolished for all crimes including treason in 1998. The last hanging was in August 1964.