Although most countries have abolished it and it goes against the UN charter on human rights, several countries still practice it, notably China, India, Indonesia and the United States. These are 25 things that will surprise you about capital punishment.
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Most countries in the world have abolished capital punishment
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The majority of executions take place in 5 countries - China, Iran, North Korea, Yemen, and the United States
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Executing a criminal costs between 2 to 5 times more than keeping them in prison for the rest of their life
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States and countries that have the death penalty actually have significantly higher violent crime rates
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The primary reason for keeping the death penalty is not cost effectiveness or deterring crime, rather it is public opinion
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Most people who support the death penalty in the United States (and elsewhere) cite "an eye for an eye" as their reason
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The United States is one of the only developed nations that still allow for the death penalty
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The last person to be guillotined in France was Hamida Djandoubi in 1977
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Most of the countries that currently allow for the death penalty are also notorious human rights abusers
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European countries quite often refuse to extradite prisoners to the United States when they fear that the death penalty would be a possibility
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The death penalty was actually banned in the United States between 1972 and 1976 by the Supreme Court
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This means the US actually banned the death penalty before many other countries
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Currently, however, 32 states still allow for the death penalty. Only a few of them actively use it though (Florida, Texas)
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Statistically, 1 in 25 people sentenced to death in the United States are innocent
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In some countries such as Singapore, even possessing drugs can lead to execution
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In China company executives can be executed for committing fraud
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In North Korea possessing bibles, watching South Korean films, and distributing pornography often lead to the death penalty
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In some countries such as Sudan and Saudi Arabia crucifixion is still a viable form of execution
7
Although the official numbers are kept secret, even with a conservative estimate China executes more people than the rest of the world combined...4 times more.
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In 2005 a company in China used skin from the corpses of executed prisoners to develop beauty products that were sold around the world
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Nike's popular slogan "Just Do It" was actually inspired by the last words of a man who was about to be executed
4
In ancient Egypt even the accidental killing of a cat could merit the death penalty
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Nearly 150 people who have been punished by the death penalty in the United States were later exonerated
2
84% of people surveyed in Egypt favor the use of the death penalty as a punishment for abandoning Islam
1
The homicide rate in states that use the death penalty is almost double the homicide rate of states that don't use the death penalty
