Capital Punishment Derek Bentley Case

 Did Bentley incite (encourage) Craig ?  Did Bentley try to stop Craig?  Did Bentley know Craig was armed?  What did “Let him have it” mean?  Should actual age or mental age decide if a person is old enough to be executed? Questions?

Aftermath of Craig/Bentley Case. Possibility that it was a police bullet. Retired police officer later claimed Bentley did not shout out. Bentley’s sister, Iris, campaigned for 45 years for a pardon Pardon granted in 1998, a year after Iris Bentley died Craig was released in 1963, is married and lives quietly in England with a new identity

Bentley deserved to hang because; If the boys had not been there, a police officer would not have died. He knew Craig carried weapons and he himself had a weapon.

Bentley should have been reprieved because; He had a low mental age. He was in police custody when the officer was shot. There were serious doubts about the police evidence. 46 years later, he was reprieved despite there being no new evidence

Purpose of executing Bentley; To deter others from carrying weapons To protect the public from a dangerous teenager. Revenge for the police officer’s colleagues and family.

Questions What is the purpose of Capital Punishment? 4 KU The USA still has the death penalty. Name 3 other countries that still have the death penalty and describe the methods used. 6 KU