The Death Penalty: Cruel And Unjust

The Death Penalty: Cruel and Unjust

As Ronald Ryan fell to the ground on February 3, 1967, a flock of pigeons flew away in a scare (York). Everyone nearby knew this man’s life had been taken from him and never to be used again. This moment was the last of Australia’s executions. 50 years later, however, the United States of America still commits Capital Punishment, and regularly, too. The topic is debated whether or not the Capital Punishment should be legal. The government is already involved in the lives of those who commit crimes, but the idea of it taking away someone’s life creates an uneasy thought. Some people believe that execution is wrong, inhumane and should be abolished while others believe that it projects positive impacts and

It is, in simplest terms, a way to torture someone and anyone who cares about them. A normal prison sentence can be just as harming to a person, and, depending on the conditions, may even be worse. A common misconception is that the death penalty will lower crime rates, but it is quite the opposite. From the author of “Facts about Deterrence and the Death Penalty” came, “ Eighty-eight percent of the country’s top criminologists do not believe the death penalty acts as a deterrent to homicide.” There is no way to tell whether or not abolishing the Death Penalty will affect the way a killer might think; If it will somehow prevent them from committing crimes, but one thing we know for sure, is that Capital Punishment does not reduce crime. The same author wrote “The murder rate in states that do not have the death penalty is consistently lower than in states with the death penalty.” If some states in the United States have abolished it, and had promising results, the whole country should. One uniform law on the subject will create a more uniform view of the country, and give it the respect it deserves. Since much of the country disagrees, it can and should look to its neighboring countries for answers. In Canada, the Death Penalty was abolished in 1976 and it has seem a 44% decrease in murders all across the country (5 reasons to abolish the death penalty). With so many encouraging outcomes of these states and countries,

This may because there is a way to believe that it is right, in the Constitution. It does clearly state that no one can be deprived of their life… without due process of law. Although one might think this means you can do anything to a person, without the proper safeguards, this is not the case. This part of the Constitution was written to protect slaves. Meaning the slave owners cannot take away a slaves life (or liberty and property) without the proper precautions taken. Even if the Death Penalty isn’t abolished, there should at least be a section that clarifies this part of the document. Additionally, in this time period in which the Constitution was written, cruel and unusual punishments were common, such examples include public shame and physical chastisement, the act of scolding or punishing someone (Death Penalty Information Center). Times have changed and execution upholds a bad reputation for being so cruel. It is not right and should be