It is unbelievable that the United States still uses death penalty as a form of punishment for capital crimes in the 21st century. Death penalty should be forbidden in this country. It is cruel to take a human beings life. The decision of weather someone deserves to die should only lay in gods hand. This country is known for being strong, free and fair and this is only possible because of justice. But is justice murdering a murder? Just "last year there were 28 deaths and there has been 18 deaths this year so far"(Bureau of justice statistics). Those criminals were probably horrible, but they did not deserve to die, after all, their act is also being used to punish other dangerous criminal.
The eighth amendment in the constitution says " excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fine imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted." So how is death penalty not cruel and unusual? The person was sentenced to death probably because he was a criminal, but we forget that he was a sibling, a parent, an uncle or even a loving husband who might have made a huge mistake by letting his impulses control his actions. The saddest thing about death penalty used to punish bad humans is that a lethal injection is not the only form of death penalty allowed and used in america over the years. According to the death penalty information center other methods used in the United States to punish criminals include electrocution, gas chamber, hanging and two states can also use a "fire squad if something goes wrong or if the prisoner prefers another way to die besides the lethal injections."(Bureau of justice statistics, capital punishment 2011). This has been used in the past but even considering the fact that someone has to go through something another form of punishment besides being sedated to death is just wrong. For me that is cruel and not even a criminal deserves to die by human decision.
I believe life long imprisonment is enough punishment for a person. Death penalty is absurd not only because we are assassinating as a form of punishment for assassination, but we are killing a horrible person, which is like letting them rest in peace, since they feel fear for their life only for an instant. When we could imprison them for the rest of their life. At least in jail the criminal would remember every single day that they did something wrong and they are suffering because of that.
In this original editorial, my colleague, Pablo, makes some very solid points regarding the death penalty as a punishment for capital offenses. He states that punishing someone to death is not doing justice, but is rather cruel and morally wrong. He goes on to affirm life-long incarceration as a better form of punishment. I agree with Pablo.
ReplyDeleteMurder is wrong. I believe this statement is something nearly all of us can agree on. However, in some cases it is considered "justified" and legal by the law. This is the capital punishment, otherwise known as the death penalty. To me, the death penalty is counterproductive and hypocritical. It validates the very crime that is desired to be discouraged.
In 1972, there was a criminal case, Furman v. Georgia, in which the SCOTUS held, in a 5-4 decision, the death penalty to be in violation of the 8th and 14th amendments of the Constitution. This resulted in a suspension of capital punishment. Though in 1976, the death penalty was unfortunately reinstated. Since then, 1442 United States' citizens have been executed for the crime(s) they have committed. I also believe the death penalty to be unconstitutional. I understand it to be in violation of the 8th amendment, as the death penalty does fit the criteria as "cruel and unusual punishment."
Just for a second, imagine that you're confined to a solid brick room, 6'x8', twenty-three of the twenty-four hours, everyday for years. With nothing more to do but sit on your bed and stare at the wall. Now, take into account the fact that you're sitting on death row, awaiting your execution. You have your lawyer frantically running around, attempting to get your case reviewed once more before your long anticipated death in hopes of changing the outcome. This right here, is mentally exhausting and truthfully torturous.
This brings me to my next point, while subjecting someone who is guilty to the torture described above, imagine subjecting an innocent person to this type of treatment. There have been several accounts of wrongful execution. Take for example the execution of Claude Jones. Mr. Jones was executed in 2000 for the murder of a liquor store clerk in 1989. From the moment of his arrest to the moment of his death, Mr. Jones claimed he never entered the store and continually professed his innocence. "Proof" that he was the one who committed the murder relied on a strand of hair retrieved from the crime scene, which was said to be his. In 2007, the Innocence Project and the Texas Observer filed a lawsuit to obtain a strand of hair and run it through more modernized DNA testing. In 2010, the results were that the strand actually did not belong to Claude Jones. In conclusion, this is just another reason why the death penalty should not exist. It is unconstitutional and unjust in many ways.