If the death penalty was brought back, someone innocent would inevitably be killed at some point
Right-wing blogger Guido Fawkes (Paul Staines) is pushing a Number 10 e-petition to reinstate the death penalty. His campaign has already gained widespread support, from Murdoch newspaper The Sun to Tory MP Philip Davies (from ‘let the disabled be exploited at below the minimum wage’ and ‘can’t we bring back blacking up’ fame). Mr Davies said:
“It’s something where once again the public are a long way ahead of the politicians. I’d go further and restore it for all murderers.”
However, a quick google search and look through the ‘Innocent‘ database finds that murder charges are fairly regularly overturned in the British Courts. People whose original conviction for murder that have been quashed include:
Andrew Adams who was convicted of murdering science teacher Jack Royal in 1990. Members of the jury later come forward to say they had considered evidence not put before the court, the police had been in contact with witnesses during the trial, and that verdicts of not guilty were returned on others involved in the case, inconsistent with Adams’ guilty verdict
Soldier Andrew Evans, who was convicted of the murder of 14-year-old Judith Roberts on the basis of a dream he experienced
Sean Hodgson, who was convicted of the murder of bar worker Theresa de Simone in 1979, and served 27 years despite David Lace confessing to the murder in 1983
Josephine Smith, whose conviction of murder for her husband was changed to manslaughter, after it was established he had repeatedly beat her and subject her to sexual abuse. Smith had originally pleaded guilty to manslaughter
Tony Martin, whose conviction of murder was reduced to manslaughter for shooting burglars who entered his home, which he had done in a ‘blind panic’
And there are dozens more. It seems odd that a libertarian such as Staines thinks that the state is incompetent to do almost anything other than decide who to kill. Under Davies’s policy, all these people would have now been killed by the state in cold blood.
Under Staines’s plan (cop-killers and child murderers would be liable for the death penalty), Andrew Evans would now have been killed.
So what price a life? Is it right that some innocent people are killed so that others receive thier comeuppance? If, as MP Priti Patel believes, deterence did work (which would imply murderers rationally weigh out risks and benefits to actions, and that a life sentence is seen as a fair risk), how many is it OK to kill to ensure that murderers are put off?
All this ‘ends justifies the means’ thinking and trading of lives feels bizarrely stalinist for conservatives and libertarians. If the death penalty is brought back, it is only a matter of time until someone is innocent is killed – an odd outcome to a campaign based on abhorrence of murder.
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
85 Responses to “Five good reasons why the death penalty should not be reinstated”
Hens4Freedom
RT @leftfootfwd: Five good reasons why the death penalty should not be reinstated: http://bit.ly/r05nfE : writes @danielelton #NewsClub
Leon Wolfson
“it is only a matter of time until someone is innocent is killed”
Er, someone innocent is *murdered*. Let’s be accurate here as to what wrongful execution is…
AnnoyingMouse
From the article on Andrew Evans at Innocent:
“Under today’s criminal evidence rules, Mr Evans’s confessions would be inadmissible.”
Sooo… actually he wouldn’t be executed in today’s legal system, because there would be insufficient evidence.
We do not regard the long-term deprivation of liberty to be fundamentally unjust simply because the state wrongfully locks people away for interminably long periods of time. Yet by the logic used above, we should.
I actually agree with the sentiment that the Death Penalty is wrong – but aren’t you missing the point? What right does the political class have to deny a clear majority view in the electorate? Democracy doesn’t produce a moral or particularly efficient state (though efficiency is perhaps less desirable anyway – the most efficient have tended to be fairly immoral), but it should produce a state in accord with the wishes of the people.
If the left in England cannot persuade people of the integrity of its ideology, and instead must resort to using its monopoly of politics to maintaining it – even in the face of outright majority disapproval – then it is no longer democratic, in fact it is teetering towards a political oligarchy. A benign one, perhaps, but nevertheless a thoroughly anti-democratic one.
Matt Vincent
RT @leftfootfwd: Five good reasons why the death penalty should not be reinstated: http://bit.ly/r05nfE : writes @danielelton #NewsClub
Matt Vincent
"@Hens4Freedom: RT @leftfootfwd: Five good reasons why the death penalty should not be reinstated: http://t.co/RlLClhk : writes @Old_Holborn