Some would argue that money used to fund the imprisonment of criminals, could be put to better use such as caring for the old and sick. Although I believe this is true, justice should not be thought of in financial terms solely. It is wrong for us to say that just because it would save us money it would be better to apply the death penalty. For the law to be just it must be fair, which means respecting the human right to life.
Punishment for treason may also be abused by repressive states, to get rid of their political enemies, and people simply fighting for greater human rights
Many murderers don’t actually get executed. This is firstly because they may kill themselves, after a killing spree, as was the case with Cho from the Virginia tech massacre. Secondly, because their doctors or psychiatrists claim they are mentally unstable, as in the cases of Serial killers, or child killer Ian Huntley. These are the most heinous murders committed, and are the ones that arouse most public outrage, yet these are the ones unpunished by the Death Penalty
This leads on to my next point. A potential risk with Capital Punishment is that it can be racially or socially biased. In the USA, nearly ninety percent of people executed were convicted of killing Caucasians, even though non-Caucasians make up more than fifty percent of all the murder victims. Also in America out of all the offenders sentenced to death, three quarters of those who are allocated a lawyer, as they cannot pay for one, can expect execution. If the defendant can afford to pay for a lawyer, this figure drops from three quarters, to a quarter. Basically, if you can’t afford to pay for a lawyer yourself you have less chance of survival. This is very unjust as it means that even the law is in favour of those with more money, and under the law, everyone should be treated equally.
There is no humane way of putting a person to death. Even if the execution itself is painless, the mental torture that the criminals suffer in the time leading up to the execution is overlooked. Also, the families of the criminals are being punished, even though they aren’t the ones who have committed a crime. The grief of the criminals’ family will not lessen the grief of the victims’ family.
There are several methods of Capital Punishment. These include hanging, electrocution, and the gas chamber, which all have potential problems. The most common method currently, is lethal injection. This is a very slow process. Usually the prisoner will lose consciousness in about a minute, but this is not always the case. It is debated to whether the first of the chemicals causes full unconsciousness, or to whether the prisoner may actually be suffering a great deal of pain, but is unable to communicate this due to the paralysing effects of the second drug. The needle must be injected to the prisoner, by a nurse or doctor, which violates the Hippocratic Oath (the code of ethics) under which doctors practise their profession. It states, that the purpose of doctors is to try to save peoples lives, and not take them. This shows that not only is the state killing, but making a doctor an accessory to the murder.
One of the most important reasons why the death penalty should be completely abolished is because no matter how hard we try, we will always kill innocent people. In the twentieth century, states in the country of America alone killed twenty three people, who were later found to be innocent. In 1975, in a case that was later known as the “Birmingham 6”; six men were charged with the murder and conspiracy to cause explosions. They were sentenced to life terms, and the judge expressed regret that Capital Punishment was no longer an option. The men’s third appeal, in 1991 was successful, and in 2001, the men were awarded compensation between £840,000 to £1.2 million pounds. If Capital Punishment had been allowed, the judge would have used this, and then there would have been six innocent men executed. Once a life is taken, it cannot be given back.
In conclusion, I believe that under no circumstances should Capital Punishment be allowed. It can possibly be biased, murder innocent people, violate human rights, and since it is not an effective deterrent, serves no purpose. The only advantage is that there is no chance of the prisoner ever being able to repeat the crime, once they are out of jail. While I understand the human instinct for revenge, the law should be, as in the words of Aristotle one of the founding fathers of law,
“reason free from passion.” Murder, in any case is murder, and therefore I think the death penalty should be completely abolished.
