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Why the Death Penalty Should be Abolished

Is the purpose of capital punishment to punish criminals, take revenge on behalf of the victim, incapacitate murders, to deter others from committing murder? Capital punishment is imposed by state governments on criminals who are guilty of serious felonies in the United States. This primitive, inhuman and highly punitive punishment is given to individuals who are perceived to be a serious threat to society. It is not only a degrading punishment but also immoral and unacceptable. There are many alternatives to capital punishment that federal governments should consider to incapacitate murderers and deter others with positive effects on future crime and recidivism. The death penalty is unjustifiable morally, ethically and economically because it violates human rights, fails to deliver justice and is ineffective.

The death penalty is unacceptable because it violates many human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects a number of rights of Americans. For instance, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects the right to life. Executing an individual is not only inhuman but is also against the rights protected by the constitution. Imposing a death penalty on individual denies them a chance to, a chance to amend for their wrongs and a vital opportunity to reform and become productive and law abiding members of the society. Similarly, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects Americans from being subjected to torturous and cruel treatment and punishment. Killing a criminal irrespective of the offense committed is against the right of the offenders to be free from cruel treatment and torture. Death penalty also denies criminals the right to be free from inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. It is appalling to note the number of people who are executed every year not only in America but also globally. The death penalty breaches all these legally protected rights. Some people who are executed could have been exonerated for their crimes. The U.S. death penalty system unashamedly violates human rights law. To make matters worse, the law is applied in a discriminatory and capricious way. In most cases, suspects of murder are not even afforded due process rights which are essential for a fair trial. Undeniably, the methods used for execution are cruel, torturous, brutal and dehumanizing so are the death row conditions. The death penalty should be abolished for its insensitivity to human rights.

Death Penalty is ineffective because it fails to deliver justice to the criminals and the victims. The victims of violent crime and their families have a right to justice. Equally, retribution is not a solution to a murder. It is not restorative neither is it reconciliatory. Capital punishment instead of reducing violence disproportionately causes more fatalities. Framed according to an eye for an eye analogy, killing is not exclusively punishable by execution. The death penalty is a mockery of the U.S Criminal Justice System. There are many alternatives to capital punishment that are just to the victims and the criminals. For instance, restorative justice helps rehabilitate the criminals while pursuing reconciliation between the victims and the criminal.

The death penalty should be abolished because it is costly and ineffective. Murderers are not incapable of successful rehabilitation and reformation. The death penalty for drug-related crimes is against international law. The main reason why countries still execute criminals is to act as a deterrence measure. Evidence from research discredits this argument. Similarly, evidence does not cite the death penalty as being more effective than life imprisonment in reducing crime. Rates of murder and other seri0us crimes against humanity continue to occur despite the use of death penalty. For instance, incidences of mass shooting are on the rise in America which an increasing number of casualties. Additionally, the application of the death penalty is skewed by race, socioeconomic status, and religion. Race plays a significant role in determining which convict lives and which dies by execution in America. Race plays a decisive role in determining which cases is selected for capital prosecution as well as which prosecutor can make such a decision. It is atrocious that one juror can be entrusted with the responsibility to choose life or death for a defendant. The death penalty is characteristically irreversible yet the risk of executing an innocent person cannot be ruled out.

In conclusion, the moral and legal appeal of the death penalty is declining. It is, therefore, time to abolish cruel and degrading punishment. An end to the cruel death penalty is within ultimate reach. The death penalty is a failed punishment policy that is expensive policy and marred by bias and error. Death penalty has failed to strike the fear the criminal justice system believes it can cause among prospective criminals as murder cases still occur in America. It not only fails to deliver justice to all parties involved, but it also subjects the criminals to a psychologically distasteful death row process. Capital punishment also violates the rights of defendants. Additionally, the death penalty is sometimes imposed on undeserving innocent people. Given the magnitude of the negative consequences of the death penalty, it needs to be abolished.

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