Summary:
Arguments include the recent halt by the American judicial system of executions by several states, including Illinois, how politics and emotional rhetoric play a part in capital punishment by sending defendants to their deaths by lethal injection, how it should be abolished, and about the pain of the victim's families for the brutal crimes. The essay also covers how some people believe capital punishment to be cruel and unusual punishment and is not cost-effective, as well as how the death penalty goes against religious scripture and the will of God. Also covered are the ideas of how innocent people are sometimes wrongly convicted due to incompetent legal representation, perjured or mistaken testimony, erroneous police work, forced confessions, or simply not being able to afford reputable attorneys.
Capital Punishment:
Capital punishment has been a popularly debated topic throughout American history. Points have been made for both sides of the issue. In recent developments several states the most notable Illinois have placed a halt on executions after finding several men sentenced to die proven innocent after being convicted. In 2004, "59 inmates were executed" (BOJ) sent to their death by means of lethal injection in the United States. Capital punishment a form of "cruel and unusual" punishment, not always punishing the right person, justified by political and emotional rhetoric, and it is not cost effective and should be abolished.
Nothing is more "cruel and unusual" than an over zealous government and breaking the laws of God. A death sentence ends everything without rehabilitation. The American justice system is supposed to rehabilitate, and we can't justify murdering murderers and call it rehabilitation. A man sentenced to death from that day forward has nothing to look forward to except a death from unnatural causes by a revengeful government. Capital punishment has been found unconstitutional in the past by both the judicial system, and the hearts of the American people. The death penalty also goes against religious
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scripture and the will of God. Scripture from the bible even states God's basic principle of life according to Ezekiel: "The Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, rather they turn from their ways and live... turn"(Holy Bible, Ezekiel). What good can come from the death of a convicted man? The families of the victims of murders have nothing to gain by the death of another except a proclaimed retribution.
I can sympathize with the profound pain of the victim's families of brutal crimes, but we need to find a new approach to their healing. Some people believe that the death of a murderer will relieve the pain of the family, and this is simply not the case. Some families believe; to them, killing a prisoner is to do the same as the murderer has done to them. Not only are there costs to house and feed the criminals but we had pay a far higher cost pursuing capital punishment in the initial trial and the appeals process.
The economical cost of carrying out a death sentence is enormous compared to life imprisonment. The state of Florida spent "57 million... to achieve 18 executions" (Miami Herald) hardly a bargain at $3.2 million a case. "The cost of keeping a 25-year-old inmate for 50 years is $805,000" (Porter) assuming they will live until they are 75. For those who believe that it is
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cheaper to execute rather than imprison are off base. Political and emotional rhetoric in part are to blame in this theory.
Justice can never be achieved when emotions play a part in a capital punishment case. After learning that Nazi Germany was killing millions of Jews our attitudes here in America called for the abolition of capital punishment. American morals told us that it was wrong to have government sponsored killings so we ended Capital punishment during that era. Still after time we would reinstate capital punishment Pro-death penalty politicians riding the political wave will surly oblige a majority and push for or against depending on the wave of that time. The death penalty is nothing more than revenge for blood shed, but to shed another's blood is to only further divide the issue.
Indigent defendants must rely on court appointed lawyers who in many cases aren't competent to try capital cases. There are documented cases where a defendants lawyer has fallen asleep when the mans life is on the line. This leaves the opportunity for the prosecution to slip one by and possibly convict an innocent man. Often times defendants who are able to afford reputable lawyers will often have a lesser sentence. Perjured or mistaken testimony, erroneous police work, forced confessions, the
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defendants previous police record, and seemingly true evidence can land an innocent man on death row.
Arguments against capital punishment are founded on solid foundations of morality. The facts are present, unconstitutional, it is not cost effective, and it's "cruel and unusual." The argument is clear no person has ever come back from the grave and told us what it feels like to die. We must be careful when judging people for judgment belongs to God.
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Works Cited
Bible, Holy, Ezekiel "The Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, rather they turn from their ways and live...Turn"
Herald, Miami, "57 million... to achieve 18 executions" July 10, 1988
