Should Death penalty be abolished?

1. The death penalty is incompatible with human rights and human

dignity
The death penalty violates the right to life which happens to be the most basic of all
human rights. It also violates the right not to be subjected to torture and other
cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. Furthermore, the death
penalty undermines human dignity which is inherent to every human being.
In April 2005, in the British medical journal The Lancet, a team of medical
researchers found serious flaws in how lethal injections were being administered,
causing extreme suffering to the prisoners being executed. The report found that in
43 of the 49 executed prisoners studied the anesthetic administered during lethal
injection was lower than required for surgery. In 43 percent of cases, drug levels
were consistent with awareness.
2. The death penalty puts innocent lives at risk.
Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in the United States in 1976, 138
innocent men and women have been released from death row, including some who
came within minutes of execution. In Missouri, Texas and Virginia investigations
have been opened to determine if those states executed innocent men. To execute
an innocent person is morally reprehensible; this is a risk we cannot take.
North Carolina: Henry McCollum and Leon Brown, charges dismissed in 2014
The two brothers were 19 and 15 and both men were intellectually disabled when
they confessed to rape and murder. They maintained their innocence since trial,
saying they did not know they were signing a confession. In 2010 Brown contacted
the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, which discovered DNA evidence
that implicated another person. Both men were freed in 2014 based on the DNA.
3. Death Penalty is more costly than imprisonment
Moreover, these costs are covered by the taxpayers of the countries. The fact that
the tax money is being spent on such barbaric and cruel deeds is unacceptable and
inappropriate when that money could be used to do so many useful and needed
things for the country. If the death penalty was replaced with a sentence of Life
imprisonment which costs millions less and also ensures that the public is protected
while eliminating the risk of an irreversible mistake, the money saved could be
spent on programs that actually improve the communities in which we live. The
millions of dollars in savings could be spent on: education, roads, police officers and
public safety programs, after-school programs, drug and alcohol treatment, child
abuse prevention programs, mental health services, and services for crime victims
and their families.

In California the current system costs $137 million per year; it would cost $11.5
million for a system without the death penalty.(California Commission for the Fair
Administration of Justice, July 2008)
In Maryland death penalty cases cost 3 times more than non-death penalty cases,
or $3 million for a single case.(Urban Institute, The Cost of the Death Penalty in
Maryland, March 2008)
4. Loss and pain to the family members of the criminals.
Families of murder victims undergo severe trauma and loss which no one should
minimize. However, 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.
Moreover, using the funds being used for the costly process of executions for
counseling and other assistance would be a better alternative to both criminals and
their families. One victim's innocent family is obviously forced to suffer from a
capital murder, but by enforcing a death sentence, you force another family to
suffer. Why double the suffering when we don't have to?
5. Mentally ill people are executed.
One out of every ten who has been executed in the United States since 1977 is
mentally ill, according to Amnesty International and the National Association on
Mental Illness. Many mentally ill defendants are unable to participate in their trials
in any meaningful way and appear unengaged, cold, and unfeeling before the jury.
Some have been forcibly medicated in order to make them competent to be
executed. Although the U.S. Supreme Court has decreed that people with mental
retardation may not be executed, Oregon has not yet passed a law banning the
execution of the mentally ill.
Askari Abdullah Muhammad was executed in Florida on January 7, 2014 for a
murder committed in prison in 1980. He had a long history of serious mental illness,
including a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.
6. It has adverse effects of people involved in carrying out the
executions.
Corrections personnel involved in executions, like military or the doctors, frequently
suffer PTSD from having to kill. Perhaps there is a reason to have a defensive
military, but prisoners pose no threat to the well-being of our citizens. There is no
reason to place the mental health of our corrections workers at risk simply to pursue
vengeance.
7. There is no credible evidence that capital punishment deters crime.
Scientific studies have consistently failed to demonstrate that executions deter
people from committing crime any more than long prison sentences. Moreover,

states without the death penalty have much lower murder rates. The South side of
the United States accounts for 80% of US executions but still has the highest
regional murder rate.
8. There is racial and economic discrimination in application of the
death penalty.
Statistics show that the death penalty is administered in a selective and racially
discriminatory manner.
African Americans are 12 percent of the U.S. population, but 42 percent of prisoners
on death row. In Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Maryland, and in the U.S. military and
federal system, more than 60 percent of those on death row are Black; Virginia,
Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Ohio all have death rows
where more than 50 percent are African American. Although Blacks constitute
approximately 50 percent of murder victims each year, 80 percent of the victims in
death penalty cases were white, and only 14 percent were Black.
Of the over 18,000 executions that have taken place in this countrys history, only
42 involved a white person being punished for killing a Black person. According to
Amnesty International, more than 20 percent of Black defendants executed since
1976 were convicted by all-white juries. In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that
death penalty laws in the U.S. were unconstitutional, in part because capital
punishment was rife with racial disparities.
9. It violates medical ethics.
The American Medical Association's policy is clear and unambiguous... requiring
physicians to participate in executions violates their oath to protect lives and erodes
public confidence in the medical profession. A physician is a member of a profession
dedicated to preserving life... The use of a physician's clinical skill and judgment for
purposes other than promoting an individual's health and welfare undermines a
basic ethical foundation of medicine first, do no harm. The guidelines in the AMA
Code of Medical Ethics address physician participation in executions involving lethal
injection. The ethical opinion explicitly prohibits selecting injection sites for
executions by lethal injection, starting intravenous lines, prescribing, administering,
or supervising the use of lethal drugs, monitoring vital signs, on site or remotely,
and declaring death.
10.
Application of the death penalty tends to be arbitrary and
capricious; for similar crimes, some are sentenced to death while
others are not.
Almost all death row inmates could not afford their own attorney at trial. Courtappointed attorneys often lack the experience necessary for capital trials and are
overworked and underpaid. In the most extreme cases, some have slept through

parts of trials or have arrived under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
Prosecutors seek the death penalty far more frequently when the victim of a
homicide is white than when the victim is African-American or of another
ethnic/racial origin. Co-defendants charged with committing the same crime often
receive different punishments, where one defendant may receive a death sentence
while another receives prison time. Approximately two percent of those convicted of
crimes that make them eligible for the death penalty actually receive a death
sentence. Each prosecutor decides whether or not to seek the death penalty. Local
politics, the location of the crime, plea bargaining, and pure chance affect the
process and make it a lottery of who lives and who dies.
GEOGRAPHIC ARBITRARINESS: Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death
penalty in 1976, 82% of all executions have taken place in the South. The Northeast
accounts for less than 1% of executions.
11.
There are strong religious reasons for many to oppose the
death penalty.

12.
Death penalty paves way for an endless cycle of violence due
to vengeance.
Retribution is just another word for revenge, and the desire for revenge is one of the
lowest human emotions perhaps sometimes understandable, but not really a
rational response to a critical situation. To kill the person who has killed someone
close to you is simply to continue the cycle of violence which ultimately destroys
the avenger as well as the offender. That this execution somehow give 'closure' to a
tragedy is a myth. Expressing ones violence simply reinforces the desire to express
it. Just as expressing anger simply makes us angrier. It does not drain away. It
contaminates the otherwise good will which any human being needs to progress in
love and understanding.
13.

It is a way easier form of punishment for the guilty.

For those of you, who don't feel much sympathy for a murderer, keep in mind that
death may be too good for them. With a death sentence, the suffering is over in an
instant. With life in prison, the pain goes on for decades. Prisoners are confined to a
cage and live in an internal environment of rape and violence where they're treated
as animals. And consider terrorists. Do you think they'd rather suffer the humiliation
of lifelong prison or be "martyred" by a death sentence? What would have been a
better ending for Osama bin Laden, the bullet that killed him instantly, or a life of
humiliation in an American prison (or if he was put through rendition to obtain more
information).

14.
The endless appeals and required additional procedures clog
our court system.
The U.S. court system goes to enormous lengths before allowing a death sentence
to be carried out. All the appeals, motions, hearings, briefs, etc. monopolize much of
the time of judges, attorneys, and other court employees as well as use up
courtrooms & facilities. This is time & space that could be used for other unresolved
matters. The court system is tremendously backed up. This would help move things
along.
15.
It sends the wrong message: why kill people who kill people to
show killing is wrong.
Yes, we want to make sure there is accountability for crime and an effective
deterrent in place; however, the death penalty has a message of "You killed one of
us, so we'll kill you". The state is actually using a murder to punish someone who
committed a murder. Does that make sense? To kill a killer for killing is the dumbest
thing anyone can ever do.
16.
Some jury members are reluctant to convict if it means putting
someone to death.
Many states require any jury members to be polled during the pre-trial examination
to be sure they have the stomach to sentence someone to death before they're
allowed to serve. Even if they're against the death penalty, they still may lie in order
to get on the panel. The thought of agreeing to kill someone even influences some
jury members to acquit rather than risk the death. Some prosecutors may go for a
lesser charge rather than force juries into a death-or-acquit choice. Obviously, in all
these situations, justice may not be served
17.
It creates sympathy for the monstrous perpetrators of the
crimes.
Criminals usually are looked down upon by society. People are disgusted by the vile,
unconscionable acts they commit and feel tremendous sympathy for the victims of
murder, rape, etc. However, the death penalty has a way of shifting sympathy away
from the victims and to the criminals themselves. An excellent example is the
execution a few years ago of former gang leader "Tookie" Williams. He was one of
the original members of the notorious Crips gang, which has a long legacy of
robbery, assault, and murder. This is a man who was convicted with overwhelming
evidence of the murder of four people, some of whom he shot in the back and then
laughed at the sounds they made as they died. This is a man who never even took
responsibility for the crimes or apologized to the victims -- NOT ONCE! These
victims had kids and spouses, but instead of sympathy for them, sympathy shifted
to Tookie. Candlelight vigils were held for him. Websites like savetookie.org sprang
up. Protests and a media circus ensued trying to prevent the execution, which

eventually did take place -- 26 years after the crime itself! There are many cases
like this, which make a mockery of the evil crimes these degenerates commit.
18.
It often draws top talent lawyers who will work for little or no
cost due to the publicity of the case and their personal beliefs
against the morality of the death penalty, increasing the chances a
technicality or a manipulated jury will release a guilt person.
Top attorneys are world-class manipulators. They know how to cover up facts and
misdirect thinking. They know how to select juries sympathetic to their side. They
know how to find obscure technicalities and use any other means necessary to get
their client off without any punishment. Luckily, most criminal defendants cannot
afford to hire these top guns; they must make do with a low-paid public defender or
some other cheaper attorney. However, a death penalty case changes everything.
First of all, a death penalty case almost always garners significant media attention.
Lawyers want that exposure, which enhances their name recognition & reputation
for potential future plaintiffs and defendants. Second of all, thousands of attorneys
have made their personal crusade in life the stomping out of the death penalty.
Entire organizations have sprung up to fight death penalty cases, often providing all
the funding for a legal defense. For an example, look no further than the Casey
Anthony trial, in which a pool of top attorneys took on a high profile death penalty
case and used voir dire and peremptory challenges to craft one of the stupidest
juries on record, who ended up ignoring facts and common sense or release an
obviously guilty woman who killed her daughter. After the "not guilty" verdict was
rendered, defense attorneys such as Cheney Mason went into long-winded speeches
for the media about the evils of the death penalty.
19.

It is useless as it doesn't bring the victim back to life.

Perhaps the biggest reason to ban the death penalty is that it doesn't change the
fact that the victim is gone and will never come back. Hate, revenge, and anger will
never cure the emptiness of a lost loved one. Forgiveness is the only way to start
the healing process, and this won't happen in a revenge-focused individual.
20.
The death penalty fails to recognize that guilty people have
the potential to change, denying them the opportunity to ever rejoin
society.
The death sentence says some people are beyond redemption, beyond second
chances, beyond being allowed to live in society. We disagree. We believe people
deserve second chances. We actually think many people are on death row and in
our prisons because they never got any first chances. Poverty, racism, neglect,
violence and mental illness are all issues impacting who becomes a criminal.
Countless prisoners have also transformed their lives, in spite of the horrific
conditions behind prison bars that they are forced to endure. Executing those

individuals or condemning them to die in prison denies their ability to fully

participate and contribute in society.
Reasons to support death penalty and how to break those points
1. The death penalty gives closure to the victim's families who have
suffered so much and is a way of relieving their pain.
Numerous families and loved ones of murder victims support alternatives to the
death penalty for many reasons, including:
The death penalty process is a traumatizing experience for families, often requiring
them to relive the pain and suffering of the death of their loved one for many years.
Life without parole provides certain punishment without the endless reopening of
wounds.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on the death penalty each year. If we
replace the death penalty with life without parole, millions of dollars could be spent
on violence-prevention efforts, solving unsolved cases, and increasing victim
services.
The death penalty places the focus on the legal consequences, not the human
consequences. Attention is directed on the crime and the accused, instead of where
it belongs on the family and loved ones of the victim and on the community. Life
without parole punishes the criminal without putting him or her in the headlines.
2. It mitigates crime rates due to the fear that it instills in people.
There is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively
than long terms of imprisonment. States that have death penalty laws do not have
lower crime rates or murder rates than states without such laws. And states that
have abolished capital punishment show no significant changes in either crime or
murder rates. The death penalty has no deterrent effect. Claims that each execution
deters a certain number of murders have been thoroughly discredited by social
science research.
3. Better justice to the victims and their families.
4. Without death penalty there is a risk of criminals and prisoners
escaping from the prison
With the tight security and the guard forces used in prisons today there is a
very little chance of anyone escaping from the prison.
5. With the advancement in technology today like DNA testing, can now
effectively eliminate almost all the uncertainty as to whether a
person is guilty or innocent.
6. Death penalty is supported by religions like Islam and to some
extent Christianity.

This is only a minority of religions supporting death penalty while most of the
religions in the world do not support death penalty.
7. It is a means of dealing with the problem of overpopulation in the
prisons.
However, the costs for execution are way higher than that for life imprisonment. So
either way the government is spending more.

8. It is an important tool for preserving law and order in any country

9. A way of honoring the victim