Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment

Briana Zimmermaker

Galen College

        Capital punishment is something that many people do not have a clear decision on. Many people support the death penalty, while others wish for the death penalty to be abolished, and there are some that support the death penalty, but only in certain cases. Even though the death penalty may serve justice to the families and victims who suffered from the crime, it should be abolished due to the fact that it puts innocent lives at risk, does not deter crime, and it is also immoral.

         Since 1973, 156 innocent men and women have been released from death row, including some who came within minutes of executions (Death Penalty Information Center [DPIC]). The danger that innocent people will be executed because of errors in the criminal justice system is getting worse. The current emphasis on faster executions, less resources for the defense, and an expansion in the number of death cases mean that the execution of innocent people is inevitable. The increasing number of innocent defendants being found on death row is a clear sign that the process for sentencing people to death is fraught with fundamental errors, errors which cannot be remedied once an execution occurs.  Ever since DNA testing has become an option to prove innocence or guilt, 273 people including 17 death row inmates, have been exonerated by use of DNA tests (American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU]). DNA tests help to ensure that innocent people are not sentenced to death and it may also help to free the people who were wrongfully convicted all along. Although it has been said that many jurisdictions officials refuse to enable inmates to have evidence tested using modern DNA testing methods because they fear that wrongful convictions would highlight the many "mistakes" of the criminal justice system. So therefore, they do not allow DNA testing to be entirely available, especially in cases that have been closed. There are also many factors that lead up to wrongful convictions that leave the innocent defendants to suffer.  If you are poor and cannot afford legal representation, chances are likely that you will be found guilty. You basically cannot prove your own innocence and without someone there to defend you and argue in your favor the outcome will not be very pretty. Especially in dreadful cases such as murders. One of the biggest factors leading to wrongful convictions is racial prejudice. It has been said that race and place determines who lives and who dies. Since 1977, the majority of death row defendants have been executed for killing white victims, although African Americans make up about half of all homicide victims (Amnesty International). In 2003, Senator Russ Feingold stated, " We simply cannot say we live in a country that offers equal justice to all Americans when racial disparities plague the system by which our society imposes the ultimate punishment (Amnesty International)."

        Scientific studies have consistently failed to demonstrate that executions deter people from committing crimes. If anything, it seemed to be that that the death penalty actually increases the number of crimes, with murder being at the top. States without the death penalty have a lower murder rate then neighboring states with it (DPIC). All together there are 36 states with the death penalty and all are in need of abolishing it on the grounds that it is unethical, barbaric  and  a complete ineffective deterrent of crime. Capital punishment does not stop people from committing heinous crimes. The threat of execution at some future date is unlikely to enter the minds of those acting under the influence of drugs or alcohol, those who are in grip of fear or rage, those who suffer from mental illness or mental retardation and do not fully understand the significance of their crime. Law enforcement also does not believe that the death penalty deters crime, they rank the death penalty as last in their priorities for effective crime reduction. Law enforcement has higher priorities such as increasing the number of police officers, reducing drug abuse and creating a better economy.  They also believe that the death penalty is one of the most inefficient uses of taxpayer dollars in fighting crime. Around the country, death sentences have declined 60% since 2000 and executions have declined almost as much (DPIC). Yet maintaining a system with 3,300 people on death row and supporting new prosecutions for death sentences that likely will never be carried out is becoming increasingly expensive and harder to justify (DPIC). The money spent to preserve this failing system could be directed to effective programs that make society safer (DPIC).

        Some people may assert that capital punishment serves justice for the victims and families who suffered from the crimes committed. Families of murder victims undergo severe trauma and loss which no one should minimize. Most people may want revenge on the defendant for what he or she put them through. Another reason why people may support capital punishment is for safety reasons. With the many crimes that have been committed, some people believe that the death penalty guarantees safety so that the criminals will not ever be let back out on the streets. The opposition, however, is not considering that there is a better way to help the families of murder victims and there is also an alternative to the death penalty: life without parole.  Executions do not help these people heal nor do they end their pain; the extended process prior to executions prolongs the agony of the family. Families of murder victims would benefit far more if the funds now being used for the costly process of executions were diverted to counseling and other assistance. People are also very frightened by press accounts of parole consideration for such notorious criminals. Most Americans are poorly informed about the likely sentences which capital murderers would receive if not given the death penalty. Only 4% believed that those sentenced to life for first degree murder would be imprisoned for the rest of their lives (DPIC). The average estimate of how long such a prisoner would serve was 15.6 years. Even when asked how long someone with a life without parole sentence would serve, only 11% believed that such a person would never be released (DPIC). The perception that a murderer convicted of a capital crime will be back on the streets in seven years if not given the death penalty is totally inaccurate.  States that have used the sentence of life without parole say it works as promised. Most of the states without the death penalty now utilize a sentence of life without parole for their worst offenders. We need to replace capital punishment with life without parole, a safer and more inexpensive option. The death penalty does not guarantee safety for the innocent people who are falsely accused , it does not effectively deter crime and it does not give closure to victims families.