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Topic: How would the reinstitution of capital punishment influence the crime rate of the Jamaican

society?

Name: Anissa Geddes

Registration number: 1000390818

Territory: Jamaica

Year of Exam: 2013

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Aims and Objectives

Description of the method employed

Findings and Discussion of Findings

Recommendations

Bibliography

Appendix

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The purpose of this Internal Assessment is to see to what degree the Jamaican society would

benefit from the reinstitution of the death penalty. This project will seek to:

Inform about Capital punishment. Give the opinion of the selected sample of Capital punishment. Determine whether or not the Jamaican society would benefit from the reinstitution of the

death penalty.

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A survey is a general investigation of a problem or a statistical study of a sample population. In

this research paper a survey was done by the use of a questionnaire. Random persons were

selected as targets for this research. The research paper is based on the opinions of selected

sample. This way the risk of the information being biased is reduced. This paper analyzes and

interprets the conditions that are present among the sample in relation to the topic of Capital

Punishment.

General information needed to complete this task was found in books, essays and the internet.

This information was needed to support the primary data collected from the survey. Cases and

references were obtained in this fashion.

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Capital Punishment, according to the Encarta Dictionaries, is the lawful execution as

punishment for a person convicted of committing 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.

Capital punishment is meted out to offenders of capital crimes such as murder committed after

a capital felony for example rape or robbery. This is a must as seen with this caseKennedy v.

Louisiana. Petitioner Patrick Kennedy was convicted and sentenced to death in Louisiana for the

aggravated rape of his then 8 year-old stepdaughter. A Louisiana state statute authorized capital

punishment for the rape of a child under 12. The State Supreme Court affirmed the statute,

rejecting petitioners reliance on Coker v. Georgia, which prevented the use of capital

punishment for the rape of an adult woman. The Supreme Court concluded that the Eighth

Amendment bars Louisiana from imposing the death penalty for the rape of a child where the

crime did not result, and was not intended to result, in the victims death.Since medieval times

people have been put to death for crimes they had committed. Some of these punishments were

crucifixion, drowning, stoning, burning at stake and beheading. More modernistic practices are

now practiced such as usage of lethal gas or injection, electrocution, hanging, or shooting.

For the majority if not all the societies and or countries of the world the death penalty had

been used as a method of crime correction. This can be seen in the Torah the holy book of the

Jews lays down the law for the crimes deserving of the death penalty for example murder,

kidnapping, magic, violation of the Sabbath, blasphemy, and a wide range of sexual crimes.

http://deathpenalty.procon.org/sourcefiles/Kennedy%20v.%20Louisiana.pdfhttp://deathpenalty.procon.org/sourcefiles/Kennedy%20v.%20Louisiana.pdfhttp://deathpenalty.procon.org/sourcefiles/Kennedy%20v.%20Louisiana.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnappinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_%28paranormal%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blasphemyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blasphemyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_%28paranormal%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnappinghttp://deathpenalty.procon.org/sourcefiles/Kennedy%20v.%20Louisiana.pdfhttp://deathpenalty.procon.org/sourcefiles/Kennedy%20v.%20Louisiana.pdf

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China is observed as the first nation to abolish the death penalty as it did in 747. This however,

only lasted for twelve years before it was reinstated. In the last few centuries, there has been a

drastic change in the perception of human natural rights and civil liberties. This has led to greater

focus on the abolition of the death penalty.

In todays world the death penalty is a controversial topic among the population. It is claimed

to be arguable based on its questionable brutality, effectiveness, infringement of human rights

and claim to loss of dignity. The first detections of a serious and organized movement to the

abolition of the death penalty can be traced back to the mid eighteenth century in Italy. Soon

after other individuals joined the campaign against executions during this period including

French authors Voltaire and Denis Diderot, British philosopher David Hume, Scottish economist

Adam Smith, and political theorist Thomas Paine in the United States. Since then to present it

has been a constant battle between supporters and the abolitionist movement.

Early oppositionists of capital punishment first grasped at the brutality of the punishments

allotted to offenders to protest. They claimed it was a public and cruel method of punishment.

This is also seen in the case ofGregg vs. Georgia. Petitioner Troy Leon Gregg was found guilty

of armed robbery and murder and then sentenced to death by a Georgia grand jury. On appeal,

the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed the death sentence, excluding its imposition for the robbery

conviction. Gregg challenged his remaining death sentence for murder at the US Supreme Court,

claiming that his capital sentence was a 'cruel and unusual' punishment in violation of the

Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments because the jury "wantonly and freakishly" imposed the

death sentence. The Court rejected the claim and affirmed the sentence. The death penalty was

also not only used for serious crimes such as murder and betraying of ones country but less

serious crimes such as theft. Supporters of the death penalty stated however, that capital

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punishment was necessary for the safety of the public and therefore cannot be so easily

discarded. Also the supporters sought to make capital punishment less gruesome. As such, the

death penalty was now done behind closed doors. Later on in history more humane methods of

capital punishment were employed.

Early objectors of capital punishment also argued that the fear of imminent death was not

necessary to control crime and properly punish wrongdoers. Instead, alternative punishment such

as imprisonment, could effectively isolate criminals from the community, deter other potential

offenders from committing offenses and show societys disapproval of the crimes committed.

However the supporters of capital punishment were against this saying the ultimate punishment

of death would be more effective in the deterrence of crimes committed. This is also argued

saying there is always the possibility of the person being innocent or perhaps the intention was

not present for the crime committed for example in this caseFurman vs. Georgia. Petitioner

William Henry Furman was discovered burglarizing a home. When attempting to escape, his

weapon went off and killed a resident in the house. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to

death. Two other death penalty cases were decided along with Furman: Jackson v. Georgia and

Branch v. Texas. These cases deal with the constitutionality of the death penalty for rape and

murder convictions. The US Supreme Court held that the imposition of the death penalty in these

cases constituted cruel and unusual punishment and violated Constitutional rights.

http://deathpenalty.procon.org/sourcefiles/Furman%20v.%20Georgia.pdfhttp://deathpenalty.procon.org/sourcefiles/Furman%20v.%20Georgia.pdfhttp://deathpenalty.procon.org/sourcefiles/Furman%20v.%20Georgia.pdf

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This result of the questionnaire shows the proposed measure of the Jamaican crime rate. Thirteen

persons agreed that it was high while two persons decided it was moderate. Of the two who

agreed that the crime rate was moderate both of them were in the age group fifteen to twenty but

both were male. Rest of the participants was from the two age groups except over twenty five.

87%

13%

0%

Crime rate of the Jamaican soceity

High Moderate Low

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From the question Should capital punishment be made legal in Jamaica? nine of the

participants agreed it should be while six of them decided against it. Of the nine persons who

thought the death penalty should be made legal in Jamaica seventy eight percent of them were

males. The six who agreed that the death penalty should not be made legal once more represents

forty percent of the sample.

Yes

No

Should Capital Punishment be legal?

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This chart displays how many of the fifteen participants agreed on which methods of Capital

punishment they thought were most appropriate. Every one of the fifteen participants agreed that

the lethal injection was appropriate. Eighty seven percent of the sample thought hanging was

suitable, Thirteen percent of the sample thought the gas chamber suitable while only seven

percent of the sample thought the electric chair was appropriate.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Lethal Injection

Hanging

Gas Chamber

Electric Chair

Methods of capital punishment that are

Appropriate

Methods of capital punishment

that are Appropriate

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The results for the question Are criminals punished fairly in Jamaica? shows a sixty seven

percent in agreement whilst the remaining thirty three percent are against it. Of the participants

on agreement with this statement sixty percent of them are female and the remaining forty

percent are male. For the results of the persons against the statement it is the other way around as

forty percent of them are female and the remaining sixty are male. There seem to be not much of

a variation pattern in terms of age.

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Yes No

Are criminals punished fairly?

Are criminals punished fairly?

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Fifty three percent of the respondents agreed that the death penalty impedes the human rights of

the offenders of law. There seem to be no preference of gender in relation to this question. Fifty

five percent of the respondents who agree with this question are females.

Does Capital Punishment impede the Human

Rights?

Yes

No

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Therefore if crime is to be controlled in Jamaica the following must be done:

Criminals are treated too fairly in the Jamaican justice system. Humane methods of capital punishment should be practiced. Capital punishment should be made legal in Jamaica.

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Questionnaire

TOPIC: How would the reinstitution of capital punishment influence the crime rate of the

Jamaican society?

Sex: Male ( ) Female ( )

Age: 15-20 ( ) 21-25 ( ) over 25 ( )

Capital Punishment can be defined as an execution as punishment for a crime committed.

1. How would you describe the crime rate of Jamaica?High ( ) Moderate ( ) Low ( )

2.

Do you think capital punishment should be legal once more in Jamaica?

Yes ( ) No ( )

3. Do you think criminals are punished fairly in Jamaica?Yes ( ) No ( )

4. Do you believe the methods of capital punishment available are humane?Yes ( ) No ( )

5. Which crimes do you believe deserve capital punishment?Murder ( ) Rape ( ) Theft ( )

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6. Which methods of capital punishment do you think is appropriate for the crimes statedabove?

Lethal Injection ( ) Hanging ( ) electric Chair ( ) Beheading ( )

other________

7. Do you believe the crime rate of Jamaica because severe psychological effects on thesociety, state why?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

8. Does capital punishment impedes the human rights?Yes ( ) No ( )