POSITION PAPER
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name of: Death Penalty Law
Researcher:Aisha Nicole Lim-Dones
According to Bailey (2020), the death penalty, also known as capital
punishment or execution, is the sentence of death imposed by courts as
punishment for a crime. The death penalty has been long known in the
Philippines, way back to when the country was colonized by the Spaniards
and Americans. Although it has already been abolished two times before, the
government began considering bills to reinstate the death penalty once again.
The death penalty is usually enforced upon individuals who committed huge
crimes. However, sometimes, even innocent ones could be put to death. This
violates people’s human rights. That’s why I oppose the implementation of the
death penalty in the Philippines.
Injustice is still prevalent in the Philippines’ criminal justice system. The death
penalty could put innocent lives at risk. Between July 2016 and January 2017,
police counts in the Philippines have reported that 7,025 people were killed by
the police or unknown armed attackers in the ‘war on drugs’, which was
implemented by President Rodrigo Duterte. As stated by Amnesty
International UK (2017), there are reports that cases of mistaken identification
have led to people with no connection to the drugs trade being murdered.
They have heard reports of the police shooting dead unarmed people,
including those prepared to surrender.
If we implement the death penalty in our country, how sure are we that the
criminality will be mitigated through this when criminality is found within the
police themselves? The death penalty is aimed to solve the criminal issues in
the country. To other people, like those who support the death penalty, 7,025
would just be a small number. But, when you think that one of those 7,025
people could be your beloved parent or dearest friend, then that 7,025 is a
huge number already. If we allow the implementation of the death penalty
despite the injustices in our country, then we, the citizens, will surely suffer the
consequences.
Violence is never a solution to violence. The death penalty can’t deter crime.
According to Dollaga (2019), a study by Amnesty International says that the
death penalty is a symptom of a culture of violence, not a solution to it. Most
of those penalized by the death penalty are victims of unfair legal systems.
Prison is meant to be a rehabilitation center for criminals. Some people
continue to hide their mistakes as they fear how they will be treated inside
prisons, while some people are also able to get away with their crimes
through money. This is because of the flawed system of imprisonment in the
Philippines. Countries like Sweden have improved their prison systems which
led to lesser criminality rates. An article from the website “Rehabilitation, not
incarceration” says that Swedish prisons are renowned for being liberal and
progressive, which focus on the rehabilitation of prisoners, so as to not re-
offend. Because of this, there is a very small amount of
implement the death penalty amidst the injustices of our country, we are
ignoring the fact that the poor will become more oppressed as they are not
able to fight for themselves compared to the rich, letting inhumanity rise in our
country. Let us not allow our privilege to blind us from the issues that our
country is facing. We must not let the death penalty violate our rights as
humans.
Criminalities can be deterred by humane actions, rather than the death
penalty. Rehabilitation has been done by many countries and has also worked
out well with them. It is proof that we do not have to proceed to gruesome
actions just to lessen the crime rates. Criminals are humans too. Some may
have also been falsely accused because of our flawed justice system. We
must not ignore that fact just to support the death penalty. “How can we deter
crime? Ensure quality life for all. And how do we provide justice to victims of
heinous crimes? Through restorative justice, which saves lives from guilt and
hate, vengeance, and retribution.” (Dollaga, 2019) Some may think that
rehabilitation may not just work out for criminals who made serious crimes.
However, criminals have reasons why they have done those crimes.
Rehabilitation will help them reflect and educate themselves. They will be able
to learn while rehabilitating, which will motivate them in improving their lives
and having a brand-new start. It will remind them that they are more than their
crimes and that they are humans just the same as we are. Humanity is the
solution to criminality.
REFERENCES
Amnesty International UK. (2017, March 27). More than 7,000 killed in the
Philippines in six months, as president encourages murder.
amnesty.org/philippines-president-duterte-war-on-drugs- thousands-killed
Bailey, K. (2016, March 26). What Is the Death Penalty? Dummies.
dummies/education/politics-government/what-is-the-death- penalty/
Conde, C. (2020, October 28). Death Penalty Danger in the Philippines.
Human Rights Watch. hrw/news/2020/08/05/death-penalty-danger-philippines
INQUIRER. (2019, July 3). Why bringing back the death penalty is not the
solution. opinion.inquirer/122344/why-bringing-back-the-death-penalty-is-not-
the-solution
Rahman, A. A. (2018, September 20). Death penalty: a denial of human
rights. New Age. newagebd/article/51007/death-penalty-a-denial-of-human-
rights
Sweden’s Prison System. (n.). Rehabilitation, Not Incarceration. Retrieved
November 30, 2020, from rehabilitationnotincarceration.weebly/swedens-
prison- system
