Guilty Of Capital Punishment In The United States

Capital punishment is the execution of people who have found guilty of capital offenses considered to be capital crimes. People are executed for murder, treason, and other reasons the government sees fit. Although the system has changed a little bit, capital punishment is still being used today. Capital punishment should not be allowed in the United States today because an innocent person’s life can be taken away, and the death penalty does not deter crime.

Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is a controversial topic that has been around even before the United States became a country; dating back all the way to the Hammurabi Codes. Back then, executions were public. Lawbreakers were often hanged in front of the whole village

Electrocution started being used towards the end of the 19th century. On August 6, 1890, William Kemmler became the first man to die in an electric chair in the United States (“Capital Punishment: Timeline” 2016). Support for capital punishment reached an all time low in 1930. Polls showed that only 42% of the population supported capital punishment (“Capital Punishment: Timeline” 2016). In Furman v. Georgia in 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the death penalty, as currently administered in the United States, constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. (“Capital Punishment: Timeline” 2016). This led to a halt in executions for 4 years. But in 1976, after the Gregg v. Georgia case, the Supreme Court reestablishes the constitutionality of the death penalty as long as the procedures involved did not violate the 8th amendment (“Capital Punishment: Timeline” 2016). This led to the start of lethal injections in 1977. Texas was the first state to

However, the 8th amendment prohibits the government from using any cruel and unusual punishments which is what the death penalty is (“Capital Punishment” 2016). The government does not have the right to take away someone’s life. By doing so, the government is effectively condoning murder, and devaluing human life in the process (Kariyaniya 2014). Supporters of the death penalty also believe that it is less of a financial burden on the state since taxpayers do not have to pay for the criminal’s food, health care, clothes, etc. However, abolishing the death penalty actually saves more money. Carolyn McGuinn, a senator for the state of Kansas, pointed out that Kansas actually saves $500,000 for every case in which the death penalty is not sought (“High Costs of Death Row” 2009). In Florida, keeping prisoners on death row costs taxpayers $51 million a year more than holding them for life without parole (“High Costs of Death Row” 2009). This money could instead be better spent on resources that are of much greater benefit to the criminal justice system. Society’s best interest is to keep criminals in jail so they can do no further harm and possibly become a functioning member of