The Efficacy Of The Death Penalty As A Deterrent To Capital Offences In Uganda

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ......................................................................................................... .i

APPROVAL .......................................................................................................... ii

DEDICATION .......................................................................................................... iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ..................................................................................................... .iv

LIST OF INSTRUMENTS ...................................................................................................... v

LIST OF CASES .................................................................................................... vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................... vii

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... ix

CHAPTER ONE ........................................................................................................ l

BACKGROUND TO THE DEATH PENALTY ................................................................. !

1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1

1.2 Capital Punishment In Colonial Times .............................................................................. 1

1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ................................................................................. 3

1.40BJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ....................................................................................... 3

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY ................................................................................................. .4

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ................................................................................... 4

1.7 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................. 4

CHAPTER TWO........................................... e ................... u .......... S

LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................................... 5

2.1 Death Penalty in Uganda View .......................................................................................... 5

2.2 International views on the Death Penalty ......................................................................... 12

CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................................. 14

3. 0 Introduction ........................................................................................... 14

3.1 ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY ..... 14

3.1.1 Reasons For Abolition Of The Death penalty in Uganda ............................................. 14

3.1.2 Fallibility of justice system ........................................................................................... 15

3.1.3 Barbarism of the deathpenalty ...................................................................................... l6

3.L4 Capital Punishment as a Human Rights Violation ........................................................ 19

3.1.5 Capital Punishment as Tools ofRepression .................................................................. 20

3 .1. 6 Constitutionality Capital Punishment. ........................................................................... 21

3 .1. 7 Profiles of Capital Offenders ......................................................................................... 21

3.2: REASONS AGAINST ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY IN UGANDA ..... 22

3.2.1. The deterrence theory ................................................................................................... 22

3.2.2 The retributive justice theory ........................................................................................ 25

3.2.3 The prevention theory ................................................................................................... 27

3.2.4 The populist theory ........................................................................................................ 27

3.2.5 Death Penalty as an Element of Democracy ................................................................. 29

3.2.6 The Threat offutemational Terrorism .......................................................................... 29

CHAPTER FOUR ................................................................................................................ 30

THE DEATH PENALTY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE RELEVANT LAWS ........... 30

4.0 futroduction ..................................................................................................... 30

4.1. Intemationallaw .............................................................................................................. 30

4.2 The Death Penalty In Domestic Legislation .................................................................... 34

4.2.1 Constitutional law: ........................................................................................................ 34

4.2.2 Martial law and the Death Penalty ................................................................................ 36

4.2.3 The Impact of Sharia Law on Death Penalty in Uganda ............................................... 37

4.2.4 The Death Penalty and the Right to life ........................................................................ 37

4.3 The Prohibition against Torture, Cruel, Degrading and Inhuman Forms of Punishment.

....................................................................................................... 39

CHAPTER FI'VE ................................................................................................ 45

RECOMl\1ENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION ............................................................... 45

5.0 futroduction ..................................................................................................... 45

5.1 RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................. 45

5.1.1 Moratorium and partial abolition ................................................................................. .46

5.1.2 Reduction of capital offences ........................................................................................ 46

5.1.3 A need for a practical right of Appeal .......................................................................... .47

5.2 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... 47

References ......................................................................................................... 4