PHI213 2020 Essay-based Mini Assignment 45 Marks<\/p>\n
Name: Student number:<\/p>\n
Instructions: <\/p>\n
Typos, referencing errors and other superficial mistakes are worth 1 mark for each one you identify and correct. However, note that you are not allowed to get more that 60% in total for identifying and correcting these mistakes.<\/p>\n
The identification of substantive objections and errors will be marked based on the seriousness of the error, and the quality of your explanation\/argument about why it counts as an error. So, you need to provide an explanation, argument or rationale to accompany the substantive errors you have identified.<\/p>\n
You are not only limited to identifying errors, you can also suggest improvements to both the writing and the argumentation in the essay. Writing improvements are marked the same way the superficial errors are (1 mark each), and they also count toward the 60% limit stated above. <\/p>\n
Argumentative improvements are marked the same way substantive errors are. So, you need to provide an explanation, argument or rationale for the substantive improvements suggested.<\/p>\n
You have 2 options regarding how to complete the assignment:<\/p>\n
You can use the track changes feature in your word processing program to make changes to this document, in addition to using comments for your arguments\/explanations (with comment function built into most word processing programs).<\/p>\n
You can number the location of the error\/suggestion in this document, and number your changes and explanations\/arguments correspondingly in a separate document.<\/p>\n
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The following essay was written in response to the question: Should the death penalty be reinstated in South Africa?<\/p>\n
The huge amount of violent crimes that happened in South Africa during 2019 led to the creation of a petition which demands the return of the death penalty and this is because majority of South Africans believe that the death penalty would be a deterrent against violent crimes. However, the death penalty should not be reinstated in South Africa, because the justice system is bound to make mistakes and this could lead to wrongful executions, the death penalty is not cost effective and it is a cruel punishment where the ultimate denial of human rights is committed. Good intro<\/p>\n
The death penalty should not be reinstated, because when looking at history it is clear that the justice systems is faulty and bound to make mistakes. This claim is supported by the article, Death penalty: ACLU alleges capital mistakes, whereby Silas (1986, para. 6) states, \u201cOf the claimed wrongful convictions 49 occurred in the 1970\u2019s and 15 since 1980\u201d. The author continues by stating that the convictions include situations in which another person later confessed to the crime. Situations like the ones previously discussed is the main reason why the death penalty is not favourable, because it is irreversible, after a person has been executed it is impossible to reverse the sentence and get the person’s life back. In addition to the previous claim made by Silas (1986, para. 1) she continues, \u201cTwenty-five innocent persons have been executed and another 343 persons wrongfully convicted of capital offences since the 1900\u2019s\u201d. During the 1900\u2019s science and investigative work was not as advanced as it is today, which means that it was common for mistakes to happen, but the mistakes that were made led to many wrongful executions. But even with today\u2019s advanced science and investigative work the justice system in South Africa still manages to make mistakes, for example in South Africa during 2018 ENCA reported on a case in South Africa whereby a man from KZN spend 14 years in prison for a wrongful conviction of rape. Can you imagine how devastated South Africans would have been if that man was wrongfully executed 14 years ago. This evidence highlights that too many people have been wrongfully convicted of a crime that they did not commit or find themselves trapped in socio economic issues whereby they don\u2019t have the resources to appeal their sentence and are left with accepting their faith. Some good argumentation, but too many points are included in a single paragraph. There are also quite a few referencing errors.<\/p>\n
Secondly capital punishment is a cruel punishment where the ultimate denial of human rights is committed. Bedau (1994) describes capital punishment as barbaric. In order to support his point of view the author uses John Evans as an example, Evans was harshly electrocuted, but survived his first attempt at electrocution, Evans was then electrocuted for a second time and he survived again. According to Bedua (1994) It took 3 attempts of electrocution for John Evans to die. Afterwards the officials were embarrassed when observers called the sentencing a \u2018barbaric ritual\u2019. It is clear that the death penalty brutalizes the whole of society and implicates us all in the kind of violence that we wish perpetrators to be punished for. The abolishment of the death penalty in South Africa was not simply a government decision but it is deeply rooted in law. In an article by Business Tech (2019), the president of South Africa answered questions regarding the possible reinstatement of the death penalty, Ramaphosa plainly stated that it was not the state\u2019s place to take a life, instead criminality should be addressed in other forms rather than ending people\u2019s lives. The president is correct when saying that it is not the state\u2019s place to take a life, because as stated by the constitution everyone has the right to life and by reinstating the death penalty would mean infringing on the rights on humans. Although the death penalty is demanded by South Africans it is simply not possible, because it is unconstitutional. The same comments as above apply here.<\/p>\n
Thirdly one of the most common misperceptions about the death penalty is the notion that the death penalty saves money, because the government will no longer have to provide for convicted criminals at the government\u2019s expense. But Bedau (1994) disagrees, because in Maryland, a comparison was conducted between the trial costs with and without the death penalty for the years 1979-1984 and concluded that a death penalty case costs approximately 42 percent more than a case resulting in a non-death. From my active social media usage, I have noticed that South Africans commonly have this misconception that capital punishment is cheaper than that of life imprisonment, because beds, food, clothing, water, electricity, psychologists and doctors needs to be provided. These are just a few out of many things which needs to be provided for prisoners and already it seems as if it would cost a lot of money. According to Bedau the cost of life imprisonment is very little compared to the cost of capital punishment. For example, Florida, with one of the nation’s largest death rows, has estimated that the true cost of each execution is approximately $3.2 million, or approximately six times the cost of a life-imprisonment sentence. In light of the evidence the cost of executions is way more than what I had initially expected. The evidence is another valid reason for not reinstating the death sentence in South Africa, because South Africa is a developing country and cannot afford expenses that will not contribute to the economy of the country. Good.<\/p>\n
In contrast to the evidence which presents the view that the death penalty should not be reinstated in South Africa, an alternative perspective illustrates that the death penalty should be reinstated in South Africa, because the death penalty is a deterrent against violent crimes and the chance of convicted criminals escaping and committing a crime again is 0%. Which makes the death penalty the obvious choice? Ernest van den Haag, a Professor of Jurisprudence at Fordham University who has studied the question of deterrence closely claims that capital punishment is likely to deter more than other punishments because people fear death more than anything else. The death penalty definitely does deter the criminals who are executed, because they are removed from society and are not able to commit the same or a different crime. Whereas imprisonment gives criminals the opportunity to get parole, thus letting them loose onto the streets and placing the rest of society in danger, and not to mention the victim’s family, who will be reminded of the fact that the person who were responsible for the death of their relative\/s is walking freely while they are left with nothing but memories. Capital punishment provides a sort of satisfactory justice for the family of the victim, because as the bible says an eye for an eye. Again, too many points are included in one paragraph. The counter-argument(s) is poorly introduced.<\/p>\n
However, the objection does not succeed, because there is no credible proof that the death penalty works as a deterrent. According to Bedau (1994), the death penalty fails as a deterrent for several reasons. To provide evidence for the authors claim he continues by comparing the homicide rate of Michigan (which has no death penalty) with the homicide rate of Indiana, which had restored the death penalty and it showed that between 1972 and 1990 the homicide rate of Michigan was much lower than that of Indiana (Bedau, 1994). It would be expected that in cities or countries where the death penalty is active that the crime rate would be much lower, but this evidence highlights that capital punishment clearly does not work as a deterrent for crime. And instead promotes crimes, in the book The Case Against The Death Penalty by Bedau (1994), he argues that the death penalty does not take premeditated murder and violent crimes into consideration, because if the crime is premeditated the person concentrates on escaping arrest, detection and conviction, therefore the threat of even the most severest form of capital punishment will not deter those who expect to escape detection and arrest. For instance, according to DrugAbuse.com Malaysia has the harshest drug laws in the world, those who sell drugs can be punished with death, but looking at Malaysia\u2019s crime statistics from 2018 it showed that crime had drastically increased from 2016 to 2018. In light of the new evidence it demonstrates enough support for not reinstating the death penalty in South Africa. Good, but some poor referencing<\/p>\n
The evidence presented has shown that there is absolutely no plausible reason whatsoever for the penalty to be reinstated. If the death penalty is not reinstated, then no wrongful executions can occur, no unnecessary costs will be spent to reinstate the death penalty and on each execution, no cruel, inhuman punishment will be allowed and human rights won\u2019t be denied. Keep South Africa save and don\u2019t allow the reinstatement of the death penalty as it won\u2019t make things any better, but only worse.Good<\/p>\n
Total: 45<\/p>\n
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