The Death Penalty Should Be Abolished

Elliot Spitzer states, “Our criminal justice system is fallible. We know it, even though we don 't like to admit it. It is fallible despite the best efforts of most within it to do justice. And this fallibility is, at the end of the day, the most compelling, persuasive, and winning argument against a death penalty.” Although the Death Penalty is meant to kill the ones that have murdered, many innocent people have been executed due to the ignorance of facts during trial. Since this has come to me and my partner’s attention, we are resolved that The United States should change its penal code to abolish the death penalty. The Death Penalty is execution following someone’s conviction of murder or any other serious crime. Abolish is to end the observance or effect of. The Penal Code is a set of criminal laws of a particular country, society, etc. Our courts are not steady, which is why we need to abolish the death penalty.

Death penalty is a punishment of execution administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. Some say revenge is sweet but giving somebody the death penalty for killing someone else is bitter. It makes no sense to execute an individual that murdered another person. Capital punishment does not solve anything, nor does it fix the problem. We as humans should not dictate who leaves this world being that the gift of life is more sacred than a one-week trial. Instead of somebody coming back to life, now you have two dead people. There are many reasons as to why I believe the death penalty should be abolish. Some of these reasons are it is expensive, a person can be wrongful executed, and it does not deter crime.

I would like about whether or not the United States should abolish the death penalty. The United States should not abolish this because those who commit a capital felony which is punishable by imprisonment or death, should serve a capital punishment which is the death penalty. Many believe that certain crimes such as rape and murder should punishable by the death penalty. Although many also see it as inhumane, many also view murder and rape as inhumane. One can view this as part of Hammburi’s Code law that states “An eye for an eye.” Capital punishment has ben around for thousands of years; beginning even before the ancient Greeks and Romans. At that time, there were many different ways to carry out capital punishment such as, beheading, stoning and electrocution (PBS).

After many years of having the death penalty In 1960 people began to suggest that they abolish the death penalty due to how cruel it was. Due to this suggestion the law on the death penalty changed in 1976, only those who were convicted of intentional homicide would be executed. Although they had changed the laws many states still disagreed with the death penalty. Those states that did not agree with the death penalty fought and had it taken out. Ever since that day the laws on the death penalty in the United States have not changed. Death penalty is a punishment of execution by someone who’s legally in charge of a capital crime. Crime rate is a count of crimes that have been done. Execute is to be murdered in a planned fashion. The death penalty should be abolished because it does not help to lower the murder or crime rate, many times innocent people are wrongly executed, and it adds cost to the government and tax

America’s strategy of capital punishment believes that killing someone actually solves the problem of reducing crime rates, when in reality it is more of a method to avoid the real issue with the criminal justice system. We are killing all these prisoners and not really getting the answers we need. For instance, are we really stopping crime? Also, the death penalty puts innocent lives at risk because of how flawed it is. Since the introduction of the death penalty in the United States in 1976, 138 innocent men and women have been released from Death Row, including some who came within minutes of execution with the death penalty. Therefore, I am against the death penalty and wish for it to be terminated due to the fact that it is morally wrong and has little to no impact when it comes to reducing crimes rates. This makes it practically useless and straight-up stupid; it also distracts us to a point of making us avoid the true ways to actually reduce crime in America.

The United States got its use of the death penalty from Britain. When the Europeans came to the United States, they brought the practice of capital punishment with them. In 1602, Captain George Kendall was the first person executed in the United States in the Jamestown Colony of Virginia because he was caught spying for Spain. In 1612, the governor of Virginia passed the Moral and Martial laws, which stated that the death penalty could be given to anyone found stealing grapes, killing chickens, or trading goods with Indians. The different death penalty laws varied from colony to colony.

In recent discussions of the death penalty, a controversial issue has been whether or not to abolish the death penalty. On the one hand, some argue that the death penalty should remain illegal. From this perspective, the death penalty rids the United States of criminals who have committed horrible crimes. On the other hand, however, others argue that the death penalty should be illegal in all fifty states. From this perspective, the death penalty could also send an innocent person to their death. According to President Obama race is a factor, at least in his opinion. He stated, “In the application of the death penalty in this country, we have seen significant problems – racial bias, uneven application of the death penalty, situations

Since the beginning of time there has always been the question of what to do with someone that has committed a serious offense that has resulted in serious injury or even death to a person. The death penalty has always been a topic of whether it is humane or inhumane to put someone to death over their crimes against another human being. The death penalty to some is either acceptable to where a person should be put t death for their crimes or is not doing anything to deter people from committing crimes. the death penalty is starting to become less of a punishment and more of a costly expense to taxpayers whom for “Each death penalty case in Texas costs taxpayers about $2.3 million.” The death penalty for some think it should be abolished while others would rather see it extended.

In this essay I will argue that capital punishment should be abolished in the United States. Capital punishment is a legal process where the state sends individuals, convicted of treason, murder, and terrorism just to name a few, to death row to be punished to their deaths by execution. Also known as the death penalty, these convicted prisoners are then put to death by such methods as a firing squad, gas chamber, electrocution, hanging, or lethal injection. All of which are lethal social injustices.

The death penalty is one of the oldest sentences in the books. This penalty can help deter crime, but not if it’s abolished at state levels. As of April 2011. 34 states had the death penalty legislation in place (Parks). Stated in the article by Parks, “In an October 2012 Gallup poll, 64 percent of participants said they were in favor of the death penalty for a convicted murder.” (Parks). Keeping the death penalty in place gives justice to the victims and families, prevents crime, and allows more space in prisons.

Statistics show that at least 4 percent of people who receive the death penalty are innocent. According to listverse.com, a woman by the name of Wanda Lopez was murdered at a gas station. The police went searching for the culprit. They eventually found a man by the name of Carlos De Luna. De Luna told the police that he was innocent and also offered to tell the name of the person he saw at the gas station. On December 7, 1989, Carlos De Luna was executed. The death penalty should be taken away because it is unfair to kill a person for committing a crime. Not all crimes are worth someone’s life being taken away. Others may argue that it gives the victims and their families closure. Many people feel that the death penalty is the only solution for the criminal. They also feel that the death penalty is the only thing that the criminal will fear. Yet, life in prison is the best alternative for the death penalty. The death penalty also costs millions of dollars. Money which can be used for the victims’ families and people in need. The color of your skin can also enhance your chances of being executed.

Even though the crime rate is rising, the death penalty is not the effective way to eliminate the crime. The death penalty should be abolished because it is not a deterrent to crime, an innocent person might be executed by mistake, and it is inhuman and degrading treatment.

"There are no do-overs if the death penalty is imposed by mistake". (Yahoo user) Capital punishment should be abolished because it puts innocent lives at risk for a crime they didn't commit due to poor defense, it violates medical ethnics, and it eliminates any chance of change such as rehabilitation. Even though revenge seems to be the answer to someone who has hurt us or someone we love, killing them isn't the answer.

Capital crime is something that is meant for people that are found guilty of committing a serious crime, such as murder, rape, or theft. These are offences that should not be taken lightly but by killing the offender, the government is carrying about the action that they are trying to prevent. Also, the wrong person may be sentenced to death. After this person is executed, there is obviously nothing that can be done for the terrible mistake to be reversed. The death penalty should be abolished because it is more expensive than life imprisonment, numerous innocent people are condemned to death row, and it is cruel and inhumane.

Nancy Reagan, once said, “I think people would be alive today if there were a death penalty.” The death penalty needs to be looked at, reviewed, revised, and kept. There are flaws in the system, but every system has flaws. Keeping the death penalty will show criminals that their are consequences to the crimes they commit. By executing a murderer it could save countless lives. There are many reasons someone might be executed and these reasons are looked at carefully.There are different types of execution: hanging, lethal injection, firing squad, electrocution, and lethal gas. The death penalty should stay but be revised, it could save lives, it could prevent crimes, it could prevent overcrowding in prisons, and closure for the family and friends who lost their loved ones from heinous crimes.