大学英语formal-essay论文范例——论中国死刑的废除

TheProspectoftheDeathPenaltyinChinaⅠ.IntroductionThedeathpenalty,alsoknownascapitalpunishment,isthesentenceofdeathimposedonaconvictedcriminal.DeathpenaltyhasalonghistoryinChinawhichcanbetracedbacktotheancienttime.Thereweremanyformsofthedeathpenaltybackthen(mostofthemwereverycruel)inordertopunishthosewhoviolatedthelawandintimidateothers.Althoughthedeathpenaltystillremainstoday,itiscarriedoutonlyintwoforms—abullettotheheadorusinglethalinjections.However,theChinesegovernmentshouldtakestepstoabolishthedeathpenalty.Ⅱ.NecessitiesofabolitionActually,theabolitionofthedeathpenaltyhasbecomeaglobaltrend.SinceItalianBeccariaMarchesedihasfirstadvocatedtheabolitionofthedeathpenaltyinhisOnCrimesandPunishmentinthe1760s,peoplehavebeenreflectingonandreformingthedeathpenalty.ManycountrieshaveabolishedthecapitalpunishmentalreadysuchasCanadaandGermany.BySeptember5th,2006,88countrieshavethoroughlyabolishedthedeathpenaltywhile68countriesstillreserveit(ZhaoⅠ.3).Proponentsoftheabolitionofthedeathpenaltymaintainthat“allmen…areendowedbytheirCreatorwithcertaininalienablerights;thatamongthesearelife…”(Jefferson),thereforeeventhecountryhasnorighttosentencepeopletodeath.ThetrendofabolishingthedeathpenaltyhasinfluencedChinaalready.“Sincethelate1990s,theEuropeanUnionhasbeenengagedwithChinaindialogues,seminarsandprojectsaimedtocreateandthendevelopadebatethatwouldbeconducivetotheabolitionofthedeathpenaltyinChina”(Hood,1).Intermsofthedeathpenaltyitself,ithasalotofdefectiveness.First,ithasracialinequality.Blackpeoplearemorelikelytobesentencedtodeaththanwhitepeople,andwhenthevictimiswhiteinsteadofblack,thesuspectismorelikelytobeexecuted.Second,ithaseconomicinequality.Thepoorhavemuchmorechancestobesentencedtodeaththantherichbecausethelattercanaffordtohirecompetentattorneysthemselves(Morrison,D1+).Third,theremightbeerroneousjudgment.Thejudicialsystemcanneverbeflawless.SinceAmericahasrestoredthedeathpenaltyin1976,127innocentpeoplehavebeenexecutedin25states(Zhao,Ⅱ.5).Finally,thedeterrenceofthedeathpenaltyisineffective.AstudyinNewYorkindicatesthatontheaveragetwomoremurdersoccurredduringthemonthfollowinganexecutiontherethanotherwise(Morrison,D1+).Socialsciencetellsusthatcapitalpunishmentmakesnodifferencetothecrimerate.Therehavealsobeensomehomerequirementstoabolishthedeathpenalty.Somelawyersarecallingfortheabolitionofthedeathpenalty;somehumanrightproponentsarestrivingtomakethemselvesheardandunderstood;someleadershavecometorealizetheneedtoabolishthiskindofpenalty.Atpresent,Chinaisundergoingmajorpoliticalreform.TheChinesegovernmentistryingtoconstructaharmonioussociety,andsomeleadersconcernedhavenoticedthatthedeathpenaltyisintheway.Therefore,somereformshavebeeninaugurated.Forexample,in2008,theChinesegovernmentmadeamajorleaptorestoretherightofappealincapitalcasestotheSupremePeople’sCourt,leadingtolessnumberofpeoplebeingexecuted.(Zhao,Ⅱ.5)Ⅲ.NecessitiesoftakingstepsTofinallyabolishthedeathpenalty,theChinesegovernmentshouldtakethecurrentcircumstancesintoaccount.Chinaisthemostpopulatedcountryintheworld,anditisstilldeveloping.Theinfrastructurefacilitiesarenotwell-equipped.IfChinaabolishesthedeathpenaltynow,therewouldnotbeenoughjailstoholdthecriminals.Tobuildthosejails,alargesumofmoneyisneeded.AlthoughChinaisfastdeveloping,itcannotaffordthemallimmediately.SinceChinaisunderreforming,itssystemsarenotmatureenoughandneedfurtherreforming.Thelegislativebranchneedstimetodiscuss,toinvestigate,toevaluateandtocode,andthenthejudicialbranchneedstimetolearn,tojudgeandtoenforce.Besides,thesocialpsychologyof“lifeforalife”needstimetochange.MostcommonChinesepeopleholdthebeliefthatthosewhokillsomeoneneedtocompensatewiththeirownlife.Ifthedeathpenaltyisabolished,manypeoplewillfindthatintolerablesince“lifeforalife”isdeeplyrooted.Ⅳ.HowtotakestepsDuetotheabovereasons,theChinesegovernmentshouldtakestepstofinallyabolishthedeathpenalty.First,thelegislativeadministrationshouldcommencetorevisethelaws.ItshoulddomorerelevantresearchesandinvestigationstofindouthowtoenablethelawtofitinChinesesociety.Second,thejudicialadministrationshouldbetteritsrunningmechanism.Thejudgesshouldbestrictlytrainedtoknowhowtojudgeproperly.Third,moresocialpropagandashouldbeinnovatedtochangepeople’srootedpsychologyof“lifeforalife”.Finally,theChineseleadersshouldcometounderstandandacceptthenecessityandfeasibilityoftheabolition.Allinall,takingstepsrequireseffortsfromallthepartyconcerned.Ⅴ.ConclusionAlthoughthedeathpenaltyhasaverylonghistory,itisnowaninevitabletrendtoabolishit,andChinaisnotanexception.ConsideringthecurrentcircumstancesofChina,takingstepsistheonlywaytogetadvancement.Toeventuallyabolishthedeathpenalty,accumulationofeffortsisunavoidable.Thedeathpenaltyisdoomedtocease,anditisnottoolatetodosomethingaboutit.BibliographyHood,Roger.“AbolitionoftheDeathPenalty:ChinainWorldPerspective.”CityUniversityofHongKongLawReview1,no.1(Spring2009):1-5.Jefferson,Thomas.TheDeclarationofIndependence,Philadelphia,1776.“DeathPenaltyAnIneffec