Execution has always been one of the hardest subjects to talk about in public. It reaches into questions about justice, morality, safety, and the value of human life. And that is why governments and courts around the world continue to argue about it. The choice to keep or abolish this punishment is a question of the principles a society wants to be seen to stand for. Many countries abolished the death penalty after long public debates . They are mainly concerned about the risk of wrongful convictions. Over the past few decades, improvements in DNA testing and forensic science have revealed cases where people sentenced to death were later proven innocent. These findings raise questions as to whether any system can be 100 per cent accurate. A prison sentence can be reviewed or overturned if new evidence appears, but an execution cannot be reversed. This fear of irreversible mistakes has guided many nations toward abolition. Another argument focuses on the purpose of punishment. Some ...