I believe due to the costs incurred, time taken up in courts, and issue with public outcry that capital punishment has reached a stage where it needs to be re-evaluated. The great thing about our system is flexibility. As society changes and evolves state laws can be changed and updated. I believe there are crimes worthy of capital punishment, but it may be time for the Supreme Court to re-visit select landmark cases. Opponents of the death penalty argue that innocent people are put on death row and possibly executed before they are exonerated. There are many cases where recent DNA testing has exonerated innocent persons after many years. Errors in the initial investigation, lies, previous criminal history, age, and laboratory errors all have contributed to the wrongful …show more content…
The time spent on death row is used to work on exoneration or commutation to a life sentence. Those opposed to capital punishment cite that a death sentence is not a proven deterrent to criminals. There are several studies cited by opponents, but many are flawed or week. These studies and research shouldn’t be used to make policy. Many proponents claim that the justice system works against the effectiveness of capital punishment. The system slows down far too much when addressing appeals and roadblocks. A person may set for year on death row awaiting punishment while the courts are bogged down. Discrimination is noted as a reason for death penalty abolishment because of the disproportion of minorities executed or waiting on death row. The economic status of the person being charged is often cited as discrimination as well. The Supreme Court weighed in that a showing of racial discrepancies is not enough to be a constitutional violation. Many various minorities may be sentenced to death, but only because the facts surrounding their crime support the