Abstract
Public perception about capital punishment in Pakistan has changed in the last few years. This perception is determined by numerous factors i.e., awareness about crimes and punishment. The present study was conducted on 600 practicing lawyers who were sampled through multistage sampling technique from five administrative divisions (Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan and Bahawalpur). On the second stage, five districts (with highest reported crime rate) Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Lahore, and Multan were sampled. Field survey was used as a technique of data collection for the current study using a self-administered questionnaire. To ensure validity, reliability, and robustness of data collection tool, pre-testing was conducted on sixty (60) respondents. Linear regression was applied to assess the relationship between independent and dependent variables. It was found that there is a positive relationship between awareness about occurrence of crimes and effectiveness of capital punishment. A relationship was found between awareness about causes of crimes and effectiveness of capital punishment. Additionally, there was no relationship between awareness about punishment and effectiveness of capital punishment.
Keyword(s)
Lawyers’ Perspective, Capital Punishment, Empirical Evidence, Punjab, Pakistan