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Death penalty - Should it be permanently removed or not? 

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Death penalty - Should it be permanently removed or not? 

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What is the death penalty, otherwise known as capital punishment?

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What is the death penalty, otherwise known as capital punishment?

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The death penalty is a common practice in the United States and around the world which is reserved for executing prisoners that may have committed serious crimes, and it is usually done through the process of injection, electrocution, torture, and other forms.

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Origins and History of the Death Penalty

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Origins and History of the Death Penalty

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The death penalty was originally first created and implemented by King Hammurabi of Babylon, which traces back to around the 18th century B.C. From there, he established several forms of this punishment, and from here, the death penalty started to transition to other places. Specifically, in America, it was first introduced in the colonies, where a spy was executed in 1608.

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What do proponents in favor of the death penalty argue?

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What do proponents in favor of the death penalty argue?

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Proponents of the death penalty claim that capital punishment, in certain situations, rights a severe wrong that has been committed by an individual. They claim that capital punishment almost eliminates the reality of a similar crime occurring in the future, and it provides those who have been affected by these crimes a sense of closure and justice.

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Those who often speak out in support against the death penalty argue the idea that it brings in more divisions, both racially and socially. They argue that the death penalty puts an unnecessary burden on fellow prisoners, who are often subject to terrible conditions during their stay in prison. They claim the death penalty only adds to the amount of injustice that is provided to prisoners, and another key point in their contention illustrates the further divisions in class and societal conflict.

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The issue of the death penalty being imposed more on those who murder white people than vice-versa

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The issue of the death penalty being imposed more on those who murder white people than vice-versa

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In studies conducted shown in a report by deathpenaltyinfo.org, there has been overwhelming signs that show that a victim's race "was found to influence the likelihood of being charged with capital murder or receiving the death penalty, i.e., those who murdered whites were found more likely to be sentenced to death than those who murdered blacks.”

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Around the world, death penalty practices differ in some form when comparing it to the United States. Internationally, some countries have completely removed the death penalty while some countries do still implement these practices, which come in the form of hangings, a stark contrast to what the United States employs. In a number of these countries, the death penalty has been deemed to violate the rights of those who have been affected as well, which is why these countries have turned into abolitionist countries when it comes to capital punishment.

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In most situations, the death penalty is imposed on groups where they are economically disadvantaged, and many do not have proper funding and resources to back themselves up. As a result, they can be forced to endure unlawful trials and cases where they may be innocent.

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There can also be mental aspects associated with the death penalty, as more people will often resort to methods of violence and civil unrest. In turn, it could potentially create more crime to be happening in society, and it only worsens the scope of such being a reality.

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There have been objections to replace capital punishment with something more acceptable such as “life without parole.” In these cases, this would possibly balance the number of appeals sent in before someone gets executed and also would drastically take away the injustice done to these prisoners.

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The government can implement laws and different public policies to permanently remove capital punishment. There is also a legislation drafted that is known as “People’s Justice Guarantee,” and the government can use this piece of proposed legislation to support the cause. As a result, it could possibly pave the way for a future in which there is no capital punishment at all.

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Because the death penalty is sometimes used against individuals who do not have the financial means to get proper representation to defend their case, another alternative could possibly be prioritized on implementing a type of life sentencing that concerns the peoples’ conditions during their sentencing and gives them the pathway to a sufficient living environment.

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Several advocates have been raising their support for the establishment of community justice, which takes into account the interests of the public as a whole, in addition to removing the well-known "punishment-first approach'' in the past.

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There also has been a great number of individuals who tend to lean towards the alternatives of the death penalty, which involves life in prison and parole until a certain number of years. This research is supported by the website deathpenaltyinfo.org.

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In recent times, more recently in 2023, there have been a number of countries that have been on the decline in utilizing capital punishment

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Those who are in ardent support against the use of capital punishment also voice their concerns to implementing an economy of care. In other words, an economy of care is just a means of using the money invested in executions to fund elsewhere, which can come namely in education, housing, health care, and many other categories that benefit marginalized groups.

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The money used to fund the resources needed for executions often stem from an increase in taxes, and taking away money from the vital services needed for our country in police and highway funding, which is demonstrated in a study done by EJUSA.

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Many people believe that the death penalty is more cost-effective than housing and feeding someone in prison for life. In reality, the death penalty's complexity, length, and finality drive costs through the roof, making it much more expensive. It is a bloated government program that has bogged down law enforcement, delayed justice for victims' families, and devoured millions of crime-fighting dollars that could save lives and protect the public.

How much does the death penalty cost?

I think I could prove to you that I could put someone in the Waldorf Hotel for 60 to 70 years and feed them three meals a day cheaper than we can litigate a single death penalty case.

- Sterling Goodspeed, former District Attorney, Warren County, New York

The most rigorous cost study in the country found that a single death sentence in Maryland costs almost $2 million more than a comparable non-death penalty case. Before ending the death penalty, Maryland spent $186 million extra to carry out just five executions. A similar study showed that California has spent over $4 billion extra for the death penalty since 1978.

Most costs associated with the death penalty never appear as line items in any budget. Instead they are buried in a thicket of legal proceedings and hours spent by judges, clerks, prosecutors, and other agencies. In the time it takes to pursue just one capital case, law enforcement could investigate, prosecute, solve, and prevent scores of other crimes.

We've had the death penalty since 1994, and we continue to pay for the process with little results...But we continue to cut the programs that could prevent these types of crimes

- Kansas State Senator Carolyn McGinn, a Republican, who sponsored legislation to repeal the death penalty in order to save funds

Why does it cost so much?

The death penalty process is more complicated because a life is on the line. Capital cases involve more lawyers, more witnesses, more experts, a longer jury selection process, more pre-trial motions, an entirely separate trial for sentencing, and countless other expenses - racking up exorbitant costs before a single appeal is even filed.

In most cases where the death penalty is sought, it is never imposed. And even when it is imposed, it is rarely carried out. Yet taxpayers are saddled with the death penalty's extra costs even in cases where the defendant is not sentenced to death or executed.

Who pays for the death penalty?

As a police chief, I find this use of state resources offensive... Give a law enforcement professional like me that $250 million, and I'll show you how to reduce crime. The death penalty isn't anywhere on my list.

- James Abbott, Police Chief and former death penalty supporter, West Orange, New Jersey

The burden is even higher on smaller counties. Jasper County, Texas, raised property taxes by nearly 7% just to pay for a single death penalty case. Two capital cases forced Jefferson County, Florida, to freeze employee raises and slash the library budget.

The death penalty diverts resources that could be used to help homicide survivors heal, including grief and trauma counseling, scholarships for orphaned children, professional leave to attend court proceedings, and financial support.

Can we make the system cheaper?

Many of the extra costs are legally mandated to reduce the risk of executing an innocent person, but even these safeguards are not enough. At least 165 people have been exonerated from death row after waiting years for the truth to come out. Streamlining the process would only heighten the already real risk of executing an innocent person.

We've learned a lot about the death penalty in the last 40 years. It is a bloated and expensive system that has bogged down law enforcement, delayed justice for victims' families, and squandered millions of crime-fighting dollars. Can we afford the price?

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Many believe that the death penalty is a cost-effective approach to justice. In reality, the death penalty's complexity, length, and finality drive costs through the roof, making it much more expensive.

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To further elaborate, countries alongside the United States that continue to effectively practice the death penalty include China, India, and Islamic states. Specifically, in China, the country often uses lethal injections similarly to the United States but also employs public executions through the form of gunshots.

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Alongside the United States, China is shown to be a major employer of capital punishment, and the results are staggering

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An alarming number of countries used the death penalty to tackle real or perceived threats to state security linked to terrorism, crime or internal instability in 2014, Amnesty International found in its annual review of the death penalty worldwide.

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An alarming number of countries used the death penalty to tackle real or perceived threats to state security linked to terrorism, crime or internal instability in 2014, Amnesty International found in its annual review of the death penalty worldwide.