[PDF] Explanation of Position on the Death Penalty

Should the death penalty be a criminal punishment?

Thank you, Madam Chair. The United States cannot agree with establishing an international moratorium on, and the eventual abolition of, the use of the death penalty as a criminal punishment. It is up to each Member State to decide on adopting the use of the death penalty and its lawful implementation.

Why did people escape the death penalty?

As in other countries, many offenders who committed capital crimes escaped the death penalty, either because juries or courts would not convict them or because they were pardoned, usually on condition that they agreed to banishment; some were sentenced to the lesser punishment of transportation to the then American colonies and later to Australia.

What are the arguments for and against capital punishment?

Contemporary arguments for and against capital punishment fall under three general headings: moral, utilitarian, and practical. Supporters of the death penalty believe that those who commit murder, because they have taken the life of another, have forfeited their own right to life.

Who opposes the death penalty?

Opposition to the death penalty also varies among the religiously unaffiliated. Around two-thirds of atheists (65%) oppose it, as do more than half of agnostics (57%). Among those who say their religion is “nothing in particular,” 63% support capital punishment.