Criminologia

Garland, D., Capital punishment and American culture, Punishment & Society, 7(4), 2005, p. 347-376.

Tasks:

1) How does the theory of ”American exceptionalism” explain, that capital punishment has not been abolished in the US while it has been abolished in other Western societies?

* This theory, explain us the different of values that makes special the USA. One of thedifferences it’s the patriotic feel of any one, this brings them a special rage to punish the people that attempt to the Big Brother Government. But there are more, we have to notice the type of think there, one of the basics of punish is the fear that it involves, they thing that making strongest laws, are linked with upgrading punish, will decrease the number of crimes.
Nevertheless, the religion is sostrongest in this country, and implicates feelings of revenge, if you analyze all of the countries of the USA than includes the capital punish in his law, you can associate it with higher presence of the church and beliefs of catholic religion. This is a strong argue to maintain the capital punish.

2) What is Garland’s explication why capital punishment is still legal in the US while ithas been abolished in all other Western countries?

* To explain this situation, Garland argues the feel of fear that the population of those country lives. There’s lot of racial segregation with the called Ghettos. They doesn’t have this abolition mechanism that will finish that’s strongest punishes because of the high tax of crimes: like gang shootouts, robberies, rapes, and the difference ofrich in some parts of the state allowing new adjectives like 4º world. This expression means the awesome difference between some people in city’s really wealthy and poor people. This difference makes the poor people dream with all those whims and begins to steal and increased the crimes.

This problem affects the electoral campaign and forces politicians to increase the fear of commit a crimewith those punishes. The people wants changes, their life’s style is under fear and demand more police control, effectives… at all, more police actions to control the criminality. But this is impossible, then they demand their revenge, with elevated punish of being at jail or the capital punish.

Overdose these political actions like modified crime statistics, make the people fear, and attackcertain groups of population segregation them like potential criminals, power these fear that have to be controlled with high punish. It’s a vicious circle.

Garland explained us that, while the fear in the US still being so high there will be politicians that plays with these and maintain the capital punish to increase their popularity and votes. We have to know that the crime is something normalin society but increasing the punishment will not decrease those criminal actions. But they give to the citizens of the USA the worst punish, kill people for their population.

3) Do you think that the continued existence of capital punishment in the US plays a significant role in shaping the public image of the USA or even – as Garland suggests - stirs up anti-American sentiments? Explainyour opinion.

* I thing that this penal code, reaffirm feels of power that the citizens of the USA like’s to give to their country. Overdose, this action doesn’t decrease the crimes and the state is killing people for nothing. They must change his mentality and try to reintroduce those people who are making crimes to the society.

Here becomes the discussion; Will you thing twice to commita crime if the punishment is higher? In my opinion yes, those criminals who commits those actions to earn more money or increase their style of live, compares the ears with the consequences. But all those people who do it because they can’t live without commit criminal actions doesn’t matter if they will go to jail, die or anything, all they want is survive.
Then, I will change the approach....