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Reagan Reeves

Bates

College Composition

28 February 2018

A Question of Life or Death

German philosopher Immanuel Kant once said, “A society that is not willing demand a

life of somebody who has taken somebody else’s life is simply immoral” (Sharp). Kant urges

society to invoke on their moral obligation and use the death penalty to serve justice for the

victims of brutally heinous crimes. The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, is a

consequence given by the courts in response to an unspeakable crime against humanity. Many

people are unsure of their position about the death penalty or are against this form of

punishment. The use of the death penalty as a consequence for despicable crimes has been apart

of society since the first colonies in America. Therefore, the death penalty should remain a

possible penalty for those deserving the title, “The worst of the worst,” because it can help

reduce the large population numbers in the prisons and the process to get on death row is

indisputable.

Some citizens are deterred from the death penalty because as taxpayers they see this form

of punishment as a rise in taxes. By focusing on the effect that the death penalty will have on

taxes, citizens are overlooking the deeper problem of overpopulated jails and prisons. Capital

punishment is an important resolution to the growing overpopulation issue that many prisons and

jails face across the country. Today’s justice system sentences more individuals to prison or jail

than before; therefore, the population within most prisons and jails consistently rises each year.
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According to a government study conducted by the US Government Accountability Office,

“Federal prisons were 39% over capacity as of September 2011,” (Gilna) which evidently

supports the claim that populations within prisons are continuing at an accelerated rate. In

addition, overpopulation has a negative effect on the physical infrastructures of the prisons and

jails within our nation. For example, Derek Gilna discussed these effects of overpopulation in the

Prison Legal News by saying, “Overcrowding also puts a strain on prison infrastructures such as

dining halls, bathrooms, laundry rooms and even television rooms, which become more difficult

to access” (Gilna). Gilna's theory of infrastructure problems in prisons is extremely useful

because it sheds lights on the difficult problem of getting prisoners around, getting extra

resources, and avoiding unnecessary confrontation. The continued legalization of the death

penalty in most states will result in prisoners, who have been convicted of horrific crimes, to be

sentenced to the death penalty in order to relieve overcrowding pressures that strain the judiciary

system. Convicted serial killers, murderers, rapists and terrorists justified deaths could take one

less prisoner out of the overpopulation problem one at a time. Therefore, the death penalty is a

possible solution to the overpopulation epidemic the United States faces.

Critics of the death penalty believe capital punishment kills innocent individuals. However,

these individuals are mistaken because they overlook the validity of DNA testing and other

pieces of biological evidence. The long road to death row effectively combats the idea of

innocent people being killed. In addition, for a jury to find an individual guilty, they must believe

that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Thus, prosecutors must have evidence that

proves the crime using biological evidence and avoids circumstantial evidence. Also, the judicial

system allows for convicted people to appeal their cases multiple times before the executions
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occur. The convicted people are provided with time and resources to prove their innocence

before ending up on death row. Therefore, an innocent individual would never make it to death

row without being proven innocent in the appeals process. In recent years, no one has been

executed without being found innocent through an appellate court. According to the Boston

Globe, “Of the 875 prisoners executed in the United States in modern times, not one has been

retroactively proved innocent” (Jacoby). This information shows the thoroughness of the judicial

system that makes sure guilty individuals are guilty, and the innocent ones go unpunished.

Jacoby from the Boston Globe also states, “So exacting is the due process in these cases that the

death penalty in America is probably the most accurately administered criminal sanction in the

world” (Jacoby). Therefore, claims that stated error rates are too high to risk the death penalty

stand inaccurate. In actuality, the judicial system’s processes show the strength of its procedures.

Innocent people are not killed while the guilty individuals are executed.

The death penalty should be legalized since this punishment option is justified for those

individuals who cannot feel empathy, commit horrific crimes, and have killed many in cold

blood. David Muhlhausen, from the Daily Signal, could not have put the reason behind the death

penalty more clear, “Some crimes are so heinous and inherently wrong that they demand strict

penalties — up to and including life sentences or even death. Most Americans recognize this

principle as just” (Muhlhausen). Although prison overcrowding and the integrity of our justice

system may seem trivial, these are in fact crucial in terms of today’s concern over the importance

of the death penalty. To end, citizens need to have faith in our justice system and allow them to

use capital punishment as a great tool and punishment option that has benefits that all fifty states

should use.
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Works Cited:

Gilna published in Prison Legal News May, 2014, page 48 Filed under: Statistics/Trends,

Overcrowding. Location: United Stat, Derek. “Prison Legal News.” ​Report: Increase in

Federal Prison Population, Overcrowding | Prison Legal News​, 19 May 2014,

www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2014/may/19/report-increase-federal-prison-population-ov

ercrowding/.

Jacoby, Jeff. “Execution Saves Innocents...” ​Boston.com​, The Boston Globe, 28 Sept. 2003,

archive.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2003/09/28/execution_save

s_innocents/.

Muhlhausen, David B. “Capital Punishment Works: It Deters Crime.” ​The Daily Signal​, 3 Oct.

2014, dailysignal.com/2014/10/04/capital-punishment-works-it-deters-crime/.

Sharp, Dudley. “First and Second Thoughts About Culture and Politics.” ​Tragic Farce​, Word

Press, 5 Nov. 2012, tragicfarce.com/tag/immanuel-kant/.