A death sentence brings finality to a horrible chapter in the lives of these family members. It would mean that the family members of the victim could then end all sadness of the crime committed and try to forget about it as best they can and know that justice has been served to the defendant. If it wasn’t for the various types of punishment there wouldn’t be a way to deter people from committing crime. The death penalty creates another form of crime deterrent. Prison time is an effective deterrent to a point, with some people more time is needed.
Since capital punishment is an option in California and other states, innocent people can be executed, to later be found innocent. At least 350 people that were convicted during 1900 and 1985 in America were executed and later on they were found innocent. (“Should the death penalty be allowed?”). Capital punishment lowers the value of human life and it puts the lives of innocent in risk. How would you feel if your loved one was executed and later on found innocent?
Sparing the innocent victims who would be spared, ex hypothesi, by the nonexecution of murderers would be more important to me than the execution, however just, of murderers. But although there is a lively discussion of the subject, no serious evidence exists to support the hypothesis that executions produce a higher murder rate. Cf. Phillips, The Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment: New Evidence on an Old Controversy, 86 AM. J. SOC.
Of course it wouldn’t completely stop the crimes, they will always happen. Another common reason in favor of it is the fact “that America has voted to execute people, then America should be able to see or hear what they have chosen.” (2) This makes sense as well. Because we are allowed to vote on whether or not a criminal is guilty enough to be killed, then maybe we should also be allowed to see it happen. On a slight tangent, if we
Death Penalty Nearly half of Americans say that the death penalty is not imposed often enough (Newport). Yet the number of executions in America continues to drop. There was about half the number of executions in 2009 than 1999 (Thornburgh). Some say that the death penalty should not be used at all because we are not sure if the person is guilty. In fact, the death penalty needs to be imposed more often because it prevents the murders of innocent people, and the punishment should fit the crime.
This is truly a bothersome idea because the capital punishment is irreversible. No matter how many precautions are made, there are always going to be mistakes because decisions are made by humans. If the mistake is acknowledged after the execution, then the state would have committed a crime that’s equivalent to the murder. Since the 1900's, at least 416 innocent people have been sentenced to death penalty in the name of justice. (Popular Misconceptions About the Death Penalty, n.d.).
Shalom wonders what this is saying about our current system that is in force (10). The author reveals that murderers that are unable to pay for their defense are more likely to be sentenced to death then those who are capable of getting a lawyer. Former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall says that “the burden of capital punishment falls upon the poor, the ignorant, and the underprivileged members of society” (11). Shalom concludes that the United States is not the only country that is continuing to practice capital punishment. The other countries are considered to be far from world leaders in human rights.
Since the capital punishment is still carry on, many opponents and defenders of the death penalty appeal to the sanctity of life. However, the death penalty is not justified. This is because death penalty is not an effective crime deterrent, executed innocent people and it needs a higher cost to carry on. First of all, some opponents argue that death penalty can help deter crime and protect public. For instance, the criminal will think twice before killing for fear of receive the strongest punishment.
Should one subsequently face legal execution, the method may vary in dignity. Whilst an American death-row inmate likely faces lethal injection conducted in private (Death Penalty Information Center), his Saudi Arabian counterpart faces public beheading (National Post, 2013). The risk of violating the right to life by incorrect verdicts, in conjunction with unproportional costs and failure to deter, makes Capital Punishment highly questionable. “Innocent until proven guilty”, the same legal and moral principles should indeed apply for “Innocent until proven guilty, innocent if proven non-guilty following false verdict”. Many, if not all, would agree.
Death Penalty Should Not Be Abolished Criminals who are not afraid of being equally punished for their horrible crimes have murdered many people every year. Career criminals make it impossible for the average person to live their life without fear. Since most states have eliminated the death penalty murderers, dangerous criminals cannot be sentenced to the death penalty. The way the justice system works in some states is not fair compared to the other states that do have the death penalty. Therefore, the United States interprets the same human right differently depending on a location.