The Capital Punishment: Just or Unjust?

Capital punishment is a complete failure in crime deterrence; in many cases it has the opposite effect. It causes crime rates to rise rather than fall. We would normally think that if someone is facing threat of death, he might think twice about killing someone, but it doesn’t work that way in actuality. Crime deterrence is not the only area in which the death penalty fails. Many people think that simply executing a murderer is a good way to save money. After all, if he’s dead you don’t have to pay to keep him alive in prison. So it should naturally follow that execution is cheaper than giving a life sentence. It doesn’t. Here are some facts to prove it. -North Carolina pays 2.16 million per execution over the costs of a non-death penalty murder case with a life sentence. Most of this extra cost in incurred in the courtroom. Death penalty cases are often appealed over and over, costing the taxpayers millions each time. -The Death penalty cost’s California 90 million annually beyond the ordinary costs of the justice system- 78 million of that total is spent in trials. -Florida averaged about 3.2 million dollars per execution from 1973-1988. That’s 57 million dollars for 18 executions. Even some death penalty supporters agree that it is costly to execute people. Prosecutor Phil Haney, who often pushes for the death penalty, says that if he could be sure life in prison really meant life in prison, he would be for abolishing the death penalty. “It’s a matter of economics,” he said “It just costs too much to execute someone.” Not only is the death penalty useless in stopping crime and saving money, it also is racially biased. I was shocked when I saw these stats. It’s absolutely sickening to think that even in this day and age; you are nearly 80% more likely to be executed for killing a white man, than if you had killed a black man. The system is racist, and no there is not a nicer way of saying it. Since 1976 only 11 white men have been executed for killing black men. In that same amount of time 145 black men have been executed for killing white men. Is that justice? No, it’s racism. With all of these facts about the ineffectiveness of the death penalty, let’s take another look at the logic behind the death penalty. Killing is wrong. Killing is so wrong that if you kill someone else, the Government will kill you. No one is allowed to kill anyone else, except for the Government, it’s perfectly fine for them to kill people. It makes no sense. Are rapists punished for their crimes by being raped? Are burglars punished by being robbed? No. I propose that the death penalty be abolished. I also would like tougher sentencing laws for murderers.

They should not be allowed parole under any circumstances. In conclusion I have shown statistics to prove that the death penalty is ineffective in deterring crime, saving money, and being fair to minorities. It’s time for a change. I don’t expect you to agree with me completely, I only ask that you look at all of the information about capital punishment before you decide to support or oppose it. The truth is out there. It’s our job to look for it.

If solving corruption with immorality is the world's remedy for reconciliation, then why not chop off the thief's hand? "An eye for an eye" was the justice of the ancient. It is now a modern world based on logic and transformation. Must we commit a crime to justify another? If capital punishment was solely based on punishing the wrongdoers, there would be no one left to inject the needle or pull the lever. Everyone would be trying to fit into the chair.