The Death Penalty

 

The Death PenaltyDeath Penalty

By Eleftheria Kolovou

 April 2025

 

he death sentence has been used as a form of punishment to those who have committed a 'serious crime' and it's been there since before history was even documented. Capital punishment in modern Greece was carried out using the guillotine (until 1913) or by firing squad. It was last applied in 1972 during the military junta. The death penalty was abolished in stages between 1975 and 2005.

Executions during the Greek War of Independence were carried out by firing squad, although when the monarchy introduced the Penal Code in 1834, beheading by guillotine became the only mode of execution. In 1847, difficulties in making the guillotine available for every execution made the government establish the firing squad as an alternative mode of execution. Both would be used until the firing squad was established as the only means of execution in 1929.

 In ancient times, someone could get the death sentence even just for stealing a piece of bread but nowadays for someone to get sentenced to death they must have committed crimes such as:

 v Terrorism

v Murder

v Rape

v Deadly robberies

 

 These where the so-called 'serious crimes'. But what really made the death sentence get a bad reputation was not the fact that a life is taken but the way that life was taken and what happened before it was taken.For example a few ways people were killed are:

 v Being stabbed

v Guillotine

v Drowning

v Left to be eaten by wild animals

v Burned alive

v Hanging

v Being poisoned

v Locked up in dungeons and left to die truly horrible way for a loved one to go. The same people that will go through one of these things will have a tough time even before that happens. For example in some countries those people that are waiting for that day get treated horribly by possible inmates and officers

Now the only thing left to discuss is the question: "did the death sentence make the crime rates drop"? A lot of studies have taken place to answer this very simple question (mostly by criminologists, psychiatrists and economists) and the answer always remained the same. NO! It did nothing to dissuade criminals from committing crimes and the crime rates certainly did not drop. 

Lastly, the thing I want to bring to your attention is the fact that the death penalty has unimaginable and many cons such as:  It is not a reversible punishment (in case of miscarriage of justice or error)

v It is against human rights

v It goes against the person's religion

v It creates a contrast with democratic societies

v There is deprivation of reformation

v Possible rebellion from the victim's family/people

v The act itself is a murder

v It is inhumane torture

v Statistics show that 10% of the people who have been sentenced to death where suffering from various psychological disorders like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and they couldn't understand the severity of the crimes they had committed.

 As a result of all this, civilians from all over the world have revoluted and managed to ban the death penalty in many countries once and for all. Thus, the death penalty has been stopped from being issued and criminals now get a lifetime in prison.

and managed to ban the death penalty in many countries once and for all. Thus, the death penalty has been stopped from being issued and criminals now get a lifetime in prison.

 revoluted and managed to ban the death penalty in many countries once and for all. Thus, the death penalty has been stopped from being issued and criminals now get a lifetime in prison.