Capital Punishment

Topic of Research: Capital Punishment

I feel that death penalties across the globe over the years have been a subject of immense change and controversy. Technically Capital punishment is in direct violation of human rights, but when is it necessary? And how is it implemented in different countries, communities and societies? I’m looking forward to explore the ever persistent debate on the topic. I personally believe that there has to be a more effective solution to punishment and reform of such criminal acts as homicide.

Everyone has an inalienable human right to life, even those who have murdered, sentencing a person to death them violates that right. The counter-argument to this humanitarian approach is that a person can, by their actions, forfeit human rights, and that murderers technically forfeit their right to life. The death penalty doesn't statistically seem to deter people from committing serious violent crimes. The likelihood of being caught and punished could be seen more efficient in deterring crimes such as these.

In 1988 a survey was conducted for the UN to determine the relation between the death penalty and homicide rates. This was then updated in 1996:
“Research has failed to provide scientific proof that executions have a greater deterrent effect than life imprisonment. Such proof is unlikely to be forthcoming. The evidence as a whole still gives no positive support to the deterrent hypothesis. The key to real and true deterrence is to increase the likelihood of detection, arrest and conviction. The death penalty is a harsh punishment, but it is not harsh on crime.”
-Amnesty International

Keeping the debate on the sidelines for now, I plan on organising the collected research material and looking through the legal point of view, come up with an animated info-graphic.
I am not fully portraying that the death penalty is absolutely wrong, instead, I’m trying to inform my audience on everything they know and don’t know about the subject, and how there could be more reformative and appropriate measures to violent crimes.

Apart from researching through articles and cases and collecting statistics, I am getting in touch with Criminal Lawyer, Mr. Nigam Shukla for a more reliable source of information, as well as talking to law students, particularly from the Jindal College of Law. There are also a couple of readings I will be touching upon about K. Balagopal, who was an influential Human Rights activist who had a lot to say on the subject.