CAPITAL-PUNISHMENT - ARGUMENTS FOR LIFE AND DEATH

Despite capital punishment having been abolished in Canada 20 years ag o, the majority of Canadians continue to favour the death penalty as a sentencing option. In this study, a 2 x 6 design was employed to inve stigate the effects that argument position (for or against the death p enalty) and type of justification for punishment (deterrence, morality , rehabilitation, incapacitation, economic, and possibility of mistake ) have on participants' sentence recommendations for a defendant found guilty of first degree murder. Results indicated that only those argu ments in favour of the death penalty, based on retribution, economics, and impossibility of mistake, were effective in influencing participa nts to recommend that the accused be sentenced to death. Compared to p articipants who recommended a life sentence, those who recommended the death penalty were found to have significantly higher scores on a mea sure of vengeance.