nickro

From Google : Execution stats 2002

Apparantly, only China and Iran executed more of it's citizens in 2002.

I have to say that's a somewhat shameful statistic.

matthias j.

Isn't the US also the sole country to execute "retards" (sorry can't think of a better word, I hope nobody's offended; well I'm sure nobody here _can_ be offended ) and together with Iran the only one to execute underaged criminals?

It that were true (and I'm rather sure of it) it'd make death penalty even more appalling.

Soyin Milka

From:
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/deathpenalty_children_eng

"Since 1994 Amnesty International has documented 20 executions of child offenders in five countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan and the USA. At least one of these countries, Pakistan, has since changed its laws to exclude the practice. These executions of child offenders represent a tiny fraction of the worldwide total of over 22,000 executions recorded in 70 countries during the same period. Thirteen of the 20 executions were in the USA. "

From:
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/deathpenalty_index_eng

"More than three countries a year on average have abolished the death penalty for all crimes in the past decade. Once abolished, the death penalty is seldom reintroduced. Since 1990, more than 35 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or, having previously abolished it for ordinary crimes, have gone on to abolish it for all crimes."

And to conclude, a selected sample of five countries who still have the death penalty:

Syria, Iran, Irak, North Korea and ... the USA.

Soyin

SanDiegoAtheist

And to our great shame, we are one of the 'few' countries that have reintroduced capital punishment after it's abolition.

Two steps forward, one step back.

Cheers,

The San Diego Atheist

themistocles

Within the constraints of society, innocent life should be considered too valuable to let murderers live.

:boohoo:

pug846

It's also somewhat misleading since the US has an enormous population - I would be interested to see where we rank after population is taken into account.

pug846

Eh? What are you talking about?

SanDiegoAtheist

Perhaps I'd agree with you if it wasn't for all those people who have been convicted & served time for crimes they did not commit who have been exonerated by post-trial evidence (such as DNA testing).

The death penalty is a bit too permanent of a solution when it's incontrovertible that our society has in the past convicted innocent people - and presumably continues to do so today.

Cheers,

The San Diego Atheist

Abacus

But innocent life has been wrongly taken many times by the death penalty. Life imprisonment does not have this problem.

Abacus

I suspect that the real motivation behind the death penalty is to get revenge. It's more of a feel-good measure.