In this video, Louise Bours of the United Kingdom’s Independence Party (UKIP) and a member of the English Parliament, debated capital punishment with Frances Crook of the Howard League for Penal Reform.

Mrs. Bours found that the death penalty was natural justice for certain types of heinous crimes and that there has been a disconnect between politicians and ordinary people who felt let down by the criminal justice system. Mrs. Crook reiterated by stating that miscarriages of justice result in deaths of innocent people in the US and that retributive punishment does not help victims.

She elaborated that since executions were abolished society has become far less violent and the murder rate has more than halved. Furthermore, the majority of times murder happens within a family which is a very complicated and distressing situation where talk of executions does not help. More life sentences are given out in England and Wales than in all 46 European countries combined.

Mrs. Bours countered by saying that the Howard League for Penal Reform was only concerned with the rights of the perpetrator and denies the people the right to decide the issue themselves through parliamentary debate and referendum. However, Mrs. Crook clarified that there have been debates on reinstating capital punishment every decade but no consensus was reached as nobody is seriously asking for return of capital punishment that would possibly lead to a more violent society.

See the entire debate at youtube.com