Together with its costs, another questionable concern is its effectiveness. Is the death row really effective? The National Pool of Police Chiefs has shown that the best way to prevent crime is by investing in the population by providing jobs and reducing drugs abuse and putting more police patrols in the streets. The states supporters of the death penalty have a higher number of murder cases than the non-supporters, what clearly illustrates how inefficient this penalty is and how social investments can decrease the crime rate. Together with non-supporter states, the American public has also questioned its effectiveness. According to Richard Dieter's A Crisis of Confidence: American's Doubt About the Death Penalty, 60% of the jurors in capital cases believe the Death Penalty is not an effective crime deterrent, against 38% who believes it is and 2% who does not have an opinion. Moreover, the death sentence cases has dropped. In 1990 the country had 300 cases, against 102 in 2006. The number of execution has declined as well. In 1990 there were 98 executions, against 53 in 2006 (8).
The Death Penalty system is not perfect. In search for assurance, the trial process usually takes time and money. The prosecution will need a specialized staff to examine all the evidences, witnesses and the police. Investigations to reconstitute the crime scene. Every step well planned and crime scene well elaborated. What if after all this long lasting and expensive process the evidences points out to an innocent man? Prosecution's mistakes are a reality. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 71 black, 54 white, 12 Latin and 2 other ethnics, in a total of 153 men, were exonerated from the death row in 37 years. Most of them spent few years in prison, and their innocence was proved by people not related to the justice system, which clarifies how unfair and inefficient it can be, not to mention the racism of the sentence. The prosecutors does not care. They do not face the innocent in the death row, instead they get rid of a long lasting case. It is not uncommon to execute an innocent man. The facts and ambiguities are there and it is easier to blame an innocent than to admit the death penalty system is imperfect. Many men have been wrongfully executed. As Illinois' Governor George Ryan said after the innocence of three death row inmates was proved:
"I cannot support a system which, in its administration, has proven so fraught with error and has come so close to the ultimate nightmare, the state's taking of innocent life... Until I can be sure that everyone sentenced to death in Illinois is truly guilty, until I can be sure with moral certainty that no innocent man or woman is facing a lethal injection, no one will meet that fate." (Amnesty USA, par. 2)
The three men mentioned by the Governor was condemned based on a confession extracted by torture, which is unacceptable and totally against the rights the humanity have fought for. American people are so desperate for justice that they end up closing their eyes and allowing an unfair and cruel system rule them. They forget a human being is facing the death row. When a suspect of a capital crime is put in the media, this human being becomes a monster, and the thirst for justice might lead an innocent to the death row. Cases of wrong conviction are a reality. Since the case is over, the justice system does not want to waste time and money trying to prove the otherwise. Most of the wrongful executions are proven after the innocent's death. Common causes of error are inadequate legal representation, perjury, racial prejudice, pressure to solve a case, police and witness misconduct, and lack of technology.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Cameron Todd Willingham, executed in February 17th, 1994, is an example of innocent killed in the death row. Willingham was accused to have provoked the fire who killed his three daughters and for 12 years he claimed himself innocent. His innocence was proved month after his execution. The newspaper consulted four fire experts and all of them confirmed the fire was accidental. Willingham was convicted based on arson theories. In 1982 the technological advances could not prove his innocence, 12 years later the advances show the fire was not provoked by Willingham, it was likely to be an accidental fire."There's nothing to suggest to any reasonable arson investigator that this was an arson fire," Hurst, a Cambridge University-educated chemist says. In brief, in order to save some money and seek justice the Texas Government killed an innocent man.
In spite of its popularity drop, the death penalty still exists in 36 states in America. These states claim no fair system can be run in a limited budget. Effectiveness and expenses are linked when it comes to justice in a pro-death penalty state. The expenses are high, the results are outstanding. Once convicted, the criminal has no right to parole or a last chance at redemption, which offers security to the society. According to the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney, capital crimes are committed mostly by offenders with a previous criminal records, leading to the assumption that the only crime deterrent to these people is the death sentence. Moreover, the numbers do not lie. It is non sense to claim the money spent by those states are wasted and it should be invested in education and social programs when 46% of the death row inmates have high school or are GED graduates and 26.7% were on parole when they committed the murder. The murderer, disregarding race and social background, kills because it is his nature, and if the justice system does not treat him properly, he will continue to kill.
The pro-death penalty states has been accused of executing innocent people in the U.S. in recent years. This claim has not been proved. However, wrongful convictions are a reality and due to that few cases have been reviewed. The most recent case is the Henry "Hank" Skinn. Convicted in 1995 of murdering his girlfriend and her two sons, Skinn had his execution scheduled for February 24, 2010. One hour before the execution, it was suspended due a request of his lawyers and Nicolas Sarkozi, the french president. New DNA analyses are likely to be made, which can prove his innocence or guiltiness.
The questionable efficiency and the probability of wrongful executions are costs unacceptable to democratic countries around the world. The non-supporter states have the policy of life imprisonment without parole, giving the offenders a chance to redeem themselves still in life, while the supporter states have chosen to deal with capital crimes by treating human beings like animals, executing them. The latter is not the best option for a developed nation. It is an outdated way of dealing with criminality, contrasting with the life imprisonment sentence adopted by other states. Progresses towards the issue have been made by men like George Ryan. The nation is becoming aware of the wrongful executions. The costs are being questioned. The effectiveness has been challenged. In short, there is no doubt left of the inadequacy of the death penalty in the American justice system.
Sources:
About.com. "Death Penalty (Capital Punishment)".12 March 2010. <>
Amnesty USA. "Death Penalty and Innocence". 12 March 2010.
Chicago Tribune. "Cameron Todd Willingham case: Expert says fire for which father was executed was not arson". 12 March 2010. <>
Death Penalty Focus. 12 March 2010. <>
Dieter, Richard C.. A Crisis of Confidence: American's Doubts about the Death Penalty. 12 March 2010. E-book. 2007.
Reynolds, Morgan. The Heartland Institue. "The Death Penalty: Far and Effective in Texas". 25 March 2010. <>
The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney. 12 March 2010. <http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/>
Yahoo! Brasil Noticias. "EUA: Suprema Corte suspende execução de condenado no Texas".
25 March 2010.
