The death penalty

As a writer it's part of my job to listen to conversations, eavesdrop if you like and while something's you hear are just plain funny, others are either crazy or they just don't make any sense at all.

Then you have the conversations that you hear that make you think, that is what gave me the idea for this particular blog.

I was traveling on a bus and in front of me sat two ladies, I'd say they were late sixties or early seventies and chatting away.

A teenager got off the bus and one of the women started talking about her grandson whom it appeared had just come out of prison.

"The problem is the prisons are too full, they should bring back the death penalty for murderers, that would stop a lot of murders and terrorism,"

I partially agree but mostly disagree.

Not everyone that is serving time for murder is a murderer, rough justice does happen and it's more than you think.

So let's say a man is found guilty of murdering his wife, the evidence suggests it's him and the jury agree. The man is put to death yet a year later he is found to be innocent. It's not like they can bring him back to life now is it?

We should learn from history.

Sixty three years ago a nineteen year old boy called Derek Bentley was given the death sentence for a crime he didn't commit. He burgled a house with Christopher Craig, who carried a gun.

Bentley saying 'Let him have it Chris,' lead the jury to find him guilty.

This case highlighted just how bad the system was at the time and since then, through years of battling, Derek Bentley has received a royal pardon.

But that doesn't bring him back now does it?

As his headstone reads, 'A victim of British Justice,' but what about those that really are guilty without any uncertainty, one hundred percent guilty of murder, should they receive the death penalty?

In 2013 Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale made headlines for trying to decapitate soldier Lee Rigby.

In 1981, Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering thirteen women and attempting to murder seven others.

The Moors murderers.

Steve Wright murdered five prostitutes back in 2006.

All of these people are guilty, without a shadow of a doubt and this is is why I think there should be the death penalty. One hundred percent guilty of murder, not the slightest doubt whatsoever, these people have taken a life or lives so why should they spend the rest of their lives in prison when they have taken someone else's life?

Does the public want the death penalty brought back?

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-144021950) 4th August 2011

The last executions in the UK took place in 1964. The death penalty was formally abolished in Britain in 1965 and in Northern Ireland in 1973.

Despite it rating high on public opinion polls, it was last debated in Parliament in 1998 during the passage of the Human Rights Act. It was rejected by 158 votes.

"The majority are in favour for bringing back the death penalty everywhere except in Parliament," said Mr Staines.

"Politicians are complaining that there's a disconnect and that the public aren't engaged with them - maybe if they represented the views and the will of the voters, there wouldn't be such a big disconnect."

The mistake MPs have made is to not trust the people and to try and ignore their concerns. We can disagree with it but we have to trust it

Douglas Carswell MP

He added: "The people want the death penalty, and politicians aren't prepared to vote for it. That's not right.

"What I'm trying to do is get Parliament to discuss this issue between what Parliament wants and what the people want."

House of Commons leader Sir George Young has warned that it would damage democracy to ignore strong opinions among members of the public "or pretend that their views do not exist".

As the two ladies said at the beginning, 'The prisons are full,' but would the death penalty really cut numbers down?

Are you in favour or against the death penalty?