Capital Punishment | Teen Ink

Capital Punishment

February 13, 2014
By RaluOnyiuke SILVER, Palmdale, California
RaluOnyiuke SILVER, Palmdale, California
6 articles 0 photos 0 comments

The United States should say “good ridden” to capital punishment and its cruel unjust way of punishment. Capital punishment shows no resemblance to sacredness of human life. The idea of taking away someone’s life takes away peoples belief in a murder free world. Capital punishment is a waste of time and money. Why spend over one-million dollars just to kill someone whose life isn’t even worth anything to them. What is mostly thought about is the effects on Physicians at Executions, Attorney Quality, Income Level, Race, Cost of Death versus Life in Prison, Retribution, Irrevocable Mistakes, Morality, Constitutionality, and Deterrence.

“We have been opposed to the death penalty”, (Amanda and Nick Wilcox).Laura, was murdered during winter break. Laura came from a very loving and caring family, because they knew how horrid and degrading it is to one’s morality. Since the family reasoned and didn’t want to soil their hands with knowing that someone died because of something that happened in their family. So the prosecutor was charged not guilty due to insanity.

“There is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime” (American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)). It means what is the point of the death penalty inflict fear on criminals so they will know that there will be consequences will their actions. Everyone has a fear of being imprisoned for their whole life and the fact that they are going to be there for a long time overwhelms them. The propose is not to scare criminals or other it’s to lets them know to do the right thing from time to time.

How do we as humans know that we want someone to die for their action? It could be for revenge or may even anger. “Revenge is one of the lowest human emotions” (Raymond A. Schroth, SJ). Why would you want to continue the cycle of killing than just end it and show who the bigger person is. Being in that situation how might other react? Almost eighty percent of people would act on revenge because they think it is right to avenge a lost family member, but the first step is always to forgive.

“The cost of the death penalty amounts to a net expense to the state and taxpayers” (Richard C. Dieter, MS, JD). America is putting way too much money concerning the death of one person. What is the reason to spend so much money on one person that committed a heinous act when we can just send them to life in prison? The process in which it take to sentence someone to the death penalty is a very long process, the prosecutor get more pre-trial time, more expert, twice as many attorneys, two trials instead of one will be conducted one for guilt and one for punishment.

Death is also a really severe punishment; the pain it gives is just inhumane. “The fatal constitutional infirmity in the punishment of death is that is treats members of the human race as nonhumans as objects to be toyed with and discarded” (William J. Brennan, JD). The way the fatal constitutional infirmity describes it as if they like do it and creates concern. People who describe others being sentence to the death penalty as toys that will be thrown away in the end shouldn’t even be close to deciding the punishment of criminals.

Yes, we all know that the death penalty exist, but what if there was an error? ”eighty-seven people have been freed from death row because they were later proven innocent” (Russ Feingold, JD). This creates concerns Americans because it shows that no one is truly safe. In this case having a good lawyer is necessary because if you have a good lawyer he can defend you with words and provide evidence that you are not a prosecutor

The death penalty also has effects on physicians. “The American Medical Association’s policy is clear and unambiguous requiring physician to participate in executions violates their oath protect lives and erodes public confidence in the medical profession” (American Medical Association (AMA)). Doctor’s now are affected by this because they can’t do anything about it.

So in the end what we have to think about what purpose of the death penalty? Is it to strike fear into the minds of prosecutors? , those it have to do with race? No, the death penalty shouldn’t even exist death is not always the answer. In the bill of right it is said the no one is to be treated with unfair or unjust treatment and also in the Ten Commandments it say thou shall not kill but we have broken those rules. There is still hope for everyone to do the right thing and always give others a chance to change.


The author's comments:
It was a class assignment but i just got really into it.

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