> Behalf Of Marc Erickson
>
> > Just for information, how many of those countries had the death
> penalty at
> > the time it was written?
>
> Canada did...
>
> Behalf Of Charlie Bell
>
> > Just for information, how many of those countries had the death
> > penalty at
> > the time it was written?
>
> ....all? I think all.
>
> How many still do?
>
> Mainland Britain doesn't, although the United Kingdom still does (Isle of
> Man still has the death penalty, IIRC).
In 1948, Australia still had the death penalty. Last person executed in
Australia was Ronald Ryan in 1967 (Victoria). Even then, the use of the
death penalty was rare. previous execution was in about 1963 in NSW, I
think. In the 1970s the various states started removing the death penalty
from the statutes, or at least stopped applying it.
Use of the death penalty is possibly still on some laws in some states,
possibly some obscure Common Law inherited from Britain, as not all have
specifically removed it. It is just no longer a sentencing option. Surveys
still show majority support, until you start questioning people about
specific cases, anyway.
Federally, it may still be an option in the military for "desertion TO the
enemy", "mutiny", and "treasonably giving up a post, warship etc". However,
no Australian serviceman has ever been executed under Australian military
law. The only 2 executed were 2 Australian officers by the British Army,
while serving in a British (not Australian) unit, during the Boer War. See
the film "Breaker Morant" for a pretty accurate portrayal.
And the Australian government in WW1 refused all British requests to allow
execution of Australians for desertion FROM the enemy, which is part of the
reason more diggers were imprisoned for desertion/AWL than other WW1 forces.
But then, most British Army executions at the time were very poorly based in
law, correct procedure, humanity or commonsense.
Brett
