October 10 is World Day against Death Penalty. Indonesia is one of the few remaining countries that still implements capital punishment. Despite many rejections from various circles, the Indonesian government still believes the death penalty serves as an effective deterrent against crime. In a book, Politik Hukuman Mati di Indonesia (The Politics of Capital Punishment in Indonesia), I wrote that research on the deterrent effect of the death penalty has yet to be conducted in Indonesia. Apart from the lack of empirical data, other arguments and studies around the world have shown the deterrent effect of capital punishment is a myth. The rationale of capital punishment Within penology, a branch of criminology that studies criminal sanctions, the idea that the death penalty has a deterrent effect rose with the influence of classic utilitarianism in the 18th century within the Western legal system. Classic utilitarianism is a theoretical approach to et...
Striving for a World without Capital Punishment