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Why The Death Penalty Is Wrong

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The Death Penalty The death penalty has been, and still is, one of the most discussed topics in the United States. Its opponents argue it to be an unnecessary and violent punishment because it seems no less barbaric than the crime, as well as it is sometimes not believed to serve its purpose as a deterrent. However, there is a fundamental difference between the loss of an innocent life and the execution of a criminal in accordance with the law. Death penalty might not be the most ideal solution, but abolishing it would put in danger the lives of many innocent and law-abiding citizens. Not only has the death penalty proven to be constitutional, cost effective, ethically correct deterrent of future murders, but it also is a punishment that fits …show more content…

These analysts count that between three and 18 lives would be saved by the execution of each convicted murderer. Naci Mocan, an economics professor at the University of Colorado at Denver, co-authored a 2003 study and re-examined a 2006 study that found that each execution results in five fewer homicides, and commuting a death sentence means five more homicides. In an interview, he states: Science does really draw a conclusion...There is no question about it. The conclusion is there is a deterrent effect. The results are robust. They don 't really go away. I oppose the death penalty. But my results show that the death penalty (deters) - what am I going to do, hide them? ( As cited in The Death Penalty in the United States,p. 3 …show more content…

To come to this conclusion, we should only compare the death penalty cases to its alternative, the death penalty-equivalent life without parole cases. Dudley Sharp, Death Penalty Resources Director of Justice For All (JFA), in an Oct. 1, 1997 Justice for All presentation titled "Death Penalty and Sentencing Information," wrote that there is no question that the upfront costs of the death penalty are significantly higher than for equivalent LWOP cases. But, over time, equivalent LWOP cases are much more expensive –from $1.2 million to $3.6 million- than death penalty cases. Diane Robertson calculates in her book “Tears from Heaven, Voices from Hell: The Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty ...” that the cost of the death penalty is estimated to be at $2million per case. A life without parole prisoner faces on average 30 or 40 years in prison while the annual cost of incarceration in a maximum security prison is $40,000 to $50,000 a year (p. 29).In conclusion, the death penalty cost is exaggerated by its opponents or people who improperly have compared the cost of all LWOP cases to death penalty

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Many innocent lives are taken due to the death penalty which are often the direct result of bias and discrimination. Needless to say, the death penalty is a poor and definitive response that cannot be undone. Combating this matter requires government intervention, and entails prohibiting the death

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Being on death row often prolongs the pain for the inmate. They spend their time in prison fearing the inevitable which for them is death. Today, we live in a society that is very divided on this issue. There are many in support of the death penalty, suggesting that it acts as a positive deterrent against future crime. There are also many

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In Edward Koch’s essay he argues that the death penalty can prevent murders and affirm life. Koch begins his counter argument by addressing the issue of the death penalty being barbaric; he argues that while it may not be the most pleasant way to lower the murder rate it is necessary in order to achieve that goal. Since no other major democracy has a murder rate as high as the United States, the death penalty is necessary for lowering it and eliminating the issue of multiple murders. There have been many cases of murders committing the crime again, so if capital punishment was enacted murderers would never get the chance to kill again. When capital punishment is used it highlights the value of human life because it has such a strict punishment,

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There are roughly 2.3 million people convicted for crimes, in that 2.3 million there are 704,000 people who are convicted for a "violent crime". 174,000 are convicted for murder, 17,000 for manslaughter, 165,000 for rape or sexual assault, 170,000 for robbery, 136,000 for assault and 43,000 for other violent crimes. Giving someone the death sentence can cause a domino effect on people's views of committing certain crimes. It acts as a deterrent in some

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Haag (2007) writes that the death penalty is feared more than imprisonment because of its finality in that the person is excommunicated from the living. As such, it is a more effective and necessary form of punishment. Berns (1996) writes that the law must be “inspiring or commanding ‘profound respect or reverential fear’” for it to be effective in deterring criminals. However, people in favor of abolishing the death penalty can argue that despite its deterrence benefits, the life of the murderer is important. This means that the victim’s life is less important even though the offender is the one who has committed a crime.

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Phillips, D. P. (1980). The Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment: New Evidence on an Old Controversy.  American Journal of Sociology,86(1), 139-148. doi:10.1086/227206 According to Philips(1980), “ homicides decreased by 35.7% immediately following a publicized execution”.

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There have been many studies indicating both a positive and negative effect on the homicide count regarding executions. A study by Hashem Dezhbaksh, Paul H. Rubin, and Joanna M. Shepherd published in the Journal of Law and Economics in 2003 concluded that each execution deterred a rough estimate of 18 murders. While another study by Katherine Baicker and Sendhil Mullainathan published in the Journal of Political Economy in 2004 found no evidence supporting that conclusion. This debate in detail would require a whole other paper. Another argument is retribution.

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The death penalty is an issue with heavy moral and legal ramifications, and is often debated by everyone from the professionals to the scholar. Globally, the death penalty carries certain connotations, and within the United States, many states have chased to outlaw it. What follows is a brief examination of each perspective on this divisive issue. The organization of Oregonians for Alternatives to Oppose the Death Penalty is highly credible due to the sources of their facts, all the way straight from the courthouse to the bible, there isn’t one opinionated statistic in this article.

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“‘Death sentences represent less than one-tenth of 1% of prison sentences in the United States…,’” (Von Drehle, 9). Furthermore, death row is just a small fraction of the criminal justice system and can not be based on that alone. For instance, what many don't take into account is the justice systems allows for many states, such as the populous state of New York, to ban the death penalty. (state laws, p1)

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Weil, Jack. “The Death Penalty Does Not Deter Crime.” The Death Penalty. Ed.

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The second question asked whether capital punishment achieved deterrence, and only 9% said yes while 79% said no; they stated that the main reason deterrence does not work is because the executions are extremely rare relative to the number of murders (Robinson, 2009, p.13-14). The third question asked whether capital punishment achieves incapacitation (“prevents future murders by killing murderers who would murder again”), and 64% of experts said yes, yet 24% said no; yet those who said yes stated that incapacitation means the murderers won’t murder again and therefore do not need to be executed (Robinson, 2009, p.14). The fourth question asked whether the death penalty was racially biased and 84% said yes; racial bias does not pertain to the offender but the victim, and killers of white victims are more likely to be executed than killers of black victims (Robinson, 2009, p.15-16). The sixth question asked whether capital punishment has ever been used against the innocent, and 76% said yes while only 2% said no; the Death Penalty Information Center and the Innocence Project both have lists of wrongly accused (Robinson, 2009, p.17). The eighth question asked who supported and who opposed the death penalty, and 80% said they opposed it

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Although the death penalty may bring some closure to families of the victims and even the victims themselves it still should be abolished because the negatives outweigh the positives. People could be murdered by the state even if they are innocent. They are taking away any chance these people have at a normal life even though it's a life that they deserve and did nothing to have it taken away. 6. Conclusion

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The Death Penalty, loss of life due to previous crimes and actions, is believed by some to be extremely costly, inhumane, and cruel unlike some others whom believe it is just, right, and provides closure. The Death Penalty is not a quick and easy process. Most who get sentenced to deaths row wait years for their ultimate punishment of death. Some believe that it is not right to punish and kill a human for actions they have done because, they believe that the inmate should have another chance. Then others believe that it is right to punish someone for their actions especially if their actions involve killing another or multiple humans.

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The cost of the death penalty is ridiculous. Mainly the death penalty is against colored. The cost of the death penalty is far more expensive than the criminals that are in jail for life. Death of innocent people is caused by the death penalty, the government has mistakenly killed several people because they didn’t find enough evidence to prove innocent but after the death of the victim the government notice they had killed wrong, could you bring the dead back? Do people really deserve to die?

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