Death Penalty

Murder is wrong. Since childhood we have been taught this indisputable truth. Ask yourself, then, what is capital punishment? n its simplest form, capital punishment is defined as one person taking the life of another. !oincidentally, that is the definition of murder. "here are #$ states with the death penalty, and they must change. "hese states need to abolish it on the grounds that it carries a dangerous risk of punishing the innocent, is unethical and barbaric, and is an ineffective deterrent of crime versus the alternative of life in prison without parole. !apital punishment is the most irreparable crime governments perpetrate without conse%uence, and it must be abolished. &'e(re only human, we all make mistakes,) is a commonly used phrase, but it is tried and true. *umans, as a species, are famous for their mistakes. *owever, in the case of the death penalty, error becomes too dangerous a risk. "he innocent lives that have been taken with the approval of our own government should be enough to abolish capital punishment. According to Amnesty nternational, &"he death penalty legitimi+es an irreversible act of violence by the state and will inevitably claim innocent victims.) f there is any chance that error is possible ,which there always is-, the drastic measure of capital punishment should not be taken. Also, it is too final, meaning it does not allow opportunity for th accused to be proven innocent, a violation of the .ifth Amendment which guarantees due process of law. District /udge /ed S. 0akoff of the 1nited States Second !ircuit !ourt of Appeals in Manhattan argued against the death penalty2 & n brief, the !ourt found that the best available evidence indicates that, on the one hand, innocent people are sentenced to death with materially greater fre%uency than was previously supposed and that, on the other hand, convincing proof of their innocence often does not emerge until long after their convictions. t is therefore fully foreseeable that in enforcing the death penalty a meaningful number of innocent people will be e3ecuted who otherwise would eventually be able to prove their innocence.) As humans, we are an inevitable force of error. *owever, when a life is at stake, error is not an option. "he death penalty is murder by the government. As a nation, we have prided ourselves in our government, its 4ustice and truth. *owever, can we continue to call our government fair if we do not hold it to the same rules we do its people? Murder by a citi+en will have conse%uences, yet a government5approved murder is not only acceptable, but enforceable. 'hat message do we send the American people, and other countries, for that matter, if we continue to be a nation that kills its citi+ens, a nation that enforces the most barbaric form of punishment? "he llinois !oalition to Abolish the Death Penalty states, &'e don(t cut off the hands of thieves to protect property6 we do not stone adulterers to stop adultery. 'e consider that barbaric. 7et we continue to take life as a means of protecting life.) 8o person, government5affiliated or not, has the right to decide if another human is worthy or unworthy of life. 9ur natural rights as humans, which cannot be taken away by the government, include the right to life. *umans are not cold metal coins that lose value6 no act, no matter how heinous, can make a person less of a human being. *owever, for most it is easy to forget that each of the :,;<< e3ecuted since :<== are fellow humans, not 4ust numbers. According to Amnesty nternational, &"he death penalty violates the right to life.) !apital punishment contradicts our moral beliefs and claims of a fair and 4ust

government. "he 1.S. must 4oin its political allies > including ?urope, Scandinavia, 0ussia, South Africa, and most of @atin America > that have abolished the death penalty. "he death penalty is favored by some as an effective deterrent of crime6 however, it is proven that states with the death penalty actually have higher murder rates than those without. t is proven that our nation does not need this e3treme threat of punishment to prevent crime. n A;;$, the .B 1niform !rime 0eport revealed that the area of the 1.S. that was responsible for the most e3ecutions ,the South with C; percent- also had the highest murder rate, whereas the 8orthern areas that had the fewest e3ecutions ,less than one percent-, had the lowest murder rates. t can be said that the death penalty is the most overlooked form of government hypocrisy6 we murder people who murder people to show that murder is wrong. t is this contradiction in policy that confuses criminals and undermines any crime deterrence capital punishment was intended to have. Many people favor the death penalty as reparation for the wrong done to a victim(s family6 however, in most cases, closure is not the result. @osing a loved one, no matter how that person is lost, is unbearable, irrevocable, and shattering. Pain like this is shocking and the victim(s family holds onto the hope that the e3ecution of the murderer will bring relief and closure. 8evertheless, when e3ecution day arrives, the pain is not eased. 8o relief can be gained, for their pain is an unavoidable, natural process of life. Dictims( families have founded such groups as the Murder Dictims .amilies for 0econciliation and "he /ourney of *ope, which oppose the death penalty. "hey believe that they are different from those who have taken their loved ones and they demonstrate their difference by refusing to sink to a murderer(s level. !apital punishment is immoral and a violation of natural rights. t is wrong for everyone involved2 the prosecuted innocent, criminals, victims( families, and our nation. 'e need to replace the death penalty and capital punishment with life without parole, a safer and more ine3pensive option. "he death penalty does not guarantee safety for innocent victims, it does not follow the goals and promises of our nation, it does not effectively deter crime, and it does not give closure to victims( families. 8othing good comes of hate, and nothing good can ever come from capital punishment. t cannot continue to be accepted by a nation that claims to have liberty and 4ustice for all. "he death penalty is murder on the sly and it(s dead wrong. source2 http2EEwww.teenink.comEopinionEsocialFissuesFcivicsEarticleEG<CG:E!apital5 Punishment5 s5Dead5'rongE