Arguments Against the Death Penalty

The death penalty has become the epitome of the irresolvable issue in the nation, the question on which people answer on the basis of gut reactions rather than logical reactions. People are more interested in satisfying their emotional needs than finding real solutions. The opposition against capital punishment is often a moral one. I agree that "we can not cure murder with murder." In a nation based deeply in Christian-Judaic ethics there is a high price in revenge attitude. The death penalty is murder and to show respect for life is to avoid killing. Aside from trying to legislate morality, there are three strong arguments against state killings that can be documented. One, capital punishment does not deter crime. Two, the cost of state execution is prohibitive. Three, the dice are heavily loaded against the poor, minorities, the mentally ill, and innocent people are sentenced to be tortured to death. The fact the Cook County, Illinois released so many innocent people after DNA tests, should document the failure of our system to be accurate in sentencing.

Point one, capital punishment does not deter crime. If capital punishment saved lives you would have less chance of being murdered in Florida where the executioner is a friend than in Michigan, which departed with the executioner. However, the reverse is true. The fact s that most murders are not pre-meditated, and therefore,the consequence of the action is not taken into account at the time of the crime. Alcohol, drugs, and mental illness, and domestic violence play a large role in most murder cases. Treatment in the prison system would help prohibit future crimes. But, unfortunately, most offenders are set back on the street with little mental health support and only 30 days medication. Most are functionally illiterate, having been pushed through an education system from which they can not read their own diploma.

Point two, the cost of state execution is prohibitive. In a study on July 10, 1988, the Miami Herald estimated the cost of $3,178,623 per execution as opposed to $515,964 for life imprisonment. In the state of Texas some the 1990's 'figures are as high as six million. 2005 Los Angeles Times Study Finds California Spends $250 Million per Execution. Deathpenality.org cites that The Attorney General spends about 15% of his budget, or $11 million annually to death penalty cases.These figures may seem mind-numbing at first, but anyone who has had the misfortune of getting involved with the legal system will realize the high cost of law, let alone justice. In a failing economy the money could be better put to use for jobs. We could hire thousands of police officers and put into place, shelters for the homeless, and treatment programs for those with mental illness, drug and alcohol problems. This would appear more cost effective that the 2,000,000,000 that we pay to incarcerated in the county. (25% who have mental health problems.) This would do more to deter murder than a vengeance attitude. In order for capital punishment to be prohibitive it needs to be swift and observable. Our system is neither. This contributes to the effectiveness of capital punishment in third world countries. You are tried in town square the next day and hung on the spot when found guilty. The Simpson trail demonstrates that our system is not swift, and most of our executions are observed by a handful of high officials. This does not serve as a detouring element for those who lack job skills and coping mechanisms. in our high tech society. If you can afford a good attorney, you wont get the death penally.

The third point against capital punishment is the innocent people are killed. A 1987 study presented evidence that 350 men, women, and children have been wrongly convicted of crimes in the United States between 1900 and 1985. Shabak Wagline spent eleven years on death row in Florida before he was found wrongly convicted. Our legal system most often executes the poor, the mentally ill, and blacks. If the death penalty is so selective, how can we execute one person for a crime when the next who commits the same crime receives life imprisonment? Innocent people are executed by mistake, often due to discrimination and/or incompetent representation. If even one life is taken by mistake, it is one too many. In summary, the United States is the only Western retentionist country. Why are we who proclaim to be the leaders in civilization the last to overturn such inhumane practices? Capital punishment does not lower crime, it is cost prohibitive, and it takes innocent victims in its toll. Is that how we want to lead the world? Before researching this topic, I thought I was pro capital punishment. My arguments were heavily base in Biblical text of an "eye for an eye and a tooth" Today, I know that emotional reasoning doesn't change the facts and the cost is very high.