English 107

Body

First, the law of death penalty has been used and regarded as a necessary deterrent to capital crimes and a way to liberate the community from dangerous criminals (David Pannick, 1995), nearly in all societies for centuries .Alternately, it’s time for the society to repeal this punishment because death penalty is a denial to human rights and goes against humanistic ideals (ACLU, 1999). “The death penalty should be repealed because it a denial of the basic human rights and violates the fundamental principle of universal declaration of human rights, that, States should recognize the right to life.According to a researched based in America, death row inmates contact with family members is minimal; seventeen out of thirty four states do not allow prisoners any physical contact with family or friends for their duration on their time on death row other than the weeks leading up to execution. Death penalties exposes people to isolation without access to family, other prisoners and forms of intellectual or social stimulation which is combined with a constant knowledge of one's impending but uncertain death. Moreover, the violation of death penalties affects not only the individuals on death row but also the family members and friends that are forced to live with and bear this torment along with their imprisoned loved ones. Lastly, all judicial systems are susceptible to human failure and there is the risk of executing innocent people even in developed justice system. I believe this kind of treatment and isolation goes against humanistic ideals and such federal laws should be revoked.

Secondly, death penalty should be repealed because many death penalty cases have been based on race and social status. The biggest argument about death penalty is that it has been handed out in a biased, racially desperate manner. People of color have accounted for the highest population that face death sentences, a disproportionate forty three percent total executions since 1976 and fifty five percent of that are currently awaiting execution and they only account for twenty seven percent of total American population. In addition, the death penalty has been found to violate the non-discrimination act found in the Universal declaration of human rights and the treaty of Eliminations of all Forms of Racial discrimination that ensures the rights of non-discrimination. Death penalties have been disproportionately imposed on ethnic minorities and low income population. Studies have revealed that race plays a decisive role in the question of who lives and dies by execution. Race influences which cases are chosen for capital punishment and which prosecutors are to make the decision.

Thirdly, death penalty should be repealed because the economic cost of death sentence as it is applied in the United States is considerably higher than the cost of life imprisonment. According to the research done by Death Penalty Information Centre, death penalties have cost tax payers huge sums of money. It costs the United States government a lot to execute a criminal than it will cost for life imprisonment. Furthermore the increasing number of prisoners on death row is steadily increasing hence in the long run the federal government is expected to spend more money on capital punishment. These facts bring out the questions of economic feasibility of the implementation of death penalties as well as the question whether death penalty is an effective crime deterrent considering the fact the number of prisoners on death row is currently on an upward trend.

In contrary, death penalty creates another form of crime deterrent. Crime would have been rampant if there was not a way to deter people from committing the crime. In addition prison time is an effective deterrent but with some people more needs to be done. Prosecutors also need to have the option of using a variety of punishments to minimize crime.

Conclusion

Death penalties may serve justice to the victim and families of victims of crime but examining the death penalty from human perspective, it not only deny the most basic right on all other rights buts also it can be biased to the people of color and low income and also it tends to deprive taxes pays huge sums of money that can be used to make other forms of punishment more effective.