Abolish Capital Punishment in the USA Essay Example

is the right to life. It also violates the right of not to be subjected to torture and other inhuman or degrading punishment. Furthermore, capital punishment undermines the human dignity which is inherent to every person. Since the major duty of the president of this great nation of USA is execution and reinforcement of the constitution. President Barrack Obama and his administration should consider the damage brought about by this violation of human right and abolish the capital punishment in all states. They should avoid keeping company with other human rights abusers like Iraq, China, and Iran who are major advocates of capital punishment.

Capital punishment does not give the guilty a second chance. It fails to recognize that the guilty have the potential to change and go back to the society. Many say that some people are beyond redemption and cannot be allowed to join the society. We disagree with this and believe that people deserve second chances no matter how big is the sin they committed. Many people are in prison because they never got the first chance. Countless prisoners have reformed in spite the horrific conditions in the prison they have to endure (Mooney, Christopher and Mei, pg.229). Executing the prisoners denies them a chance to contribute and fully participate in the society.

Capital punishment does not deter crime effectively. It does not help in reducing violent crimes in the country. It lacks the deterrent effect. Some people say that there is no conclusive evidence of reduced crime because of the death penalty. In fact, in our country states with no death penalty have lower crime rates compared to those supporting capital punishment (Sarat,

Austin & Christian, 245). The prisoners should be given an opportunity to assist the society, especially the youth, by advising them to avoid criminal activities. This will help reform the society and assist many youths from going to jail and also save the state a lot of money.

Death penalties are very expensive. Executions are carried out at very high costs to taxpayers’ expense. It costs less to keep a person in prison than to execute him. Death penalty trials are clearly more expensive than systems handling cases with lesser punishment (Schabas, pg.123). Everything that is needed for a normal trial is needed for a death penalty plus more pre-trial time, more experts, twice as many attorneys. Two trials will also be required, one for guilt and another for punishment plus a series of appeals. The prosecution and defense will require a lot of money for the facilitation of all these activities and these burdens the taxpayers. We are looking forward to the government to abolish the death penalty and save a lot of money which can be directed to other developmental activities in this great nation.

Capital punishments are racial. The death penalty is applied in a racially based manner. Capital punishment values the lives of the minority less than that of the white. More blacks and Hispanics are charged with death penalties even though they make up as a small percentage of the country’s population. The minorities are overrepresented among criminals since they can’t fight for their rights (Steiker, pg.97). That is why half of those currently on death row are African American, these needs to change. America advocates for equality among its citizens no

matter what race you are. The government should spearhead the fight for equality among the citizens and abolish capital punishment in all our states.

Capital punishment is not the right way to help murdered victims family. The victims’ families undergo severe trauma which should not be ignored. The prolonged process prior to executions does not help them heal, instead, it increases their agony. The families need a lot of counseling process and other assistance to get through the pain of losing their loved ones in such a manner. They would benefit more if the funds used for costly execution would be diverted to their counseling and assistance in a funeral arrangement. This would give them the chance to forgive, heal and move on with their lives peacefully.

Capital punishment encourages revenge, one of lowest human emotions. Many may argue that retribution is the primary purpose for just punishment; I believe that there is a better punishment. Rehabilitation and deterrence have a better outcome than retribution. As stated by Mahatma Gandhi “An eye for an eye makes the world blind,” killing someone because he/she killed your loved one is just a continuation of the cycle of violence destroying both the avenger and defender. It contaminates the good will human beings need progress in love, forgiveness, and understanding. It makes the avenger no different from the defender since they all end up being murderers. This is why Mr. Obama should encourage us to make a habit of empathy since retribution destroys us more and causes more divisions among the families of the victim and the defender.

Capital punishment mostly punishes the poor. The poor pay the ultimate price in the

death penalty. Death penalties are mostly used in disproportion manner against the poor. Since money gets you good defense, those who do not have it will not get the deserved justice (Kaufman, pg.546). Some people argue that capital punishment means those without the capital get to be punished. This is true looking at the number of the pure being put on death row just because they cannot afford good lawyers to defend them. The government should tell us where we are going with buying of justice. The rich can buy their innocence with some few million dollars while the poor end up on death row because they lack the finance to prove their innocence. I urge the government to abolish this barbaric act of capital punishment so as to protect the right of the poor.

Last but not least is that capital punishment is against almost all religions. Both Christianity, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhism, and other religion encourages us to forgive and move on. The bible tells us to forgive our enemies 7x70 times a day. It also encourages us to love both our friends and enemies the same way. Christian, Hindu, and Islamic religious leaders have come out to strongly criticize capital punishment. And the question remains, what the government is doing about this? As a religious nation who believes in God, we should stop the killing since God wants us to continue with His creation work and not destroy it.

Conclusion

As seen, the death penalty is brought out as unjust, inhuman and denial of human right. It denies those accused the chance to reform and help their society. It is a symptom culture of violence and

not a solution to it. Apart from that, it is a form of oppression to the poor, minority races and the religion. Furthermore, it is against the fundamental human right to live and stains the moral mandate to which our society is built. These reasons make it more harmful to the nation through a lot of taxpayers’ money is used in the process. And I believe it is good to abolish the capital punishment in all the states of America.

Work Cited

1. Evans, Richard J. Rituals of Retribution: capital punishment in Germany, 1600-1987. Oxford University Press on Demand, 1996: 234-567.
2. Hood, Roger, and Carolyn Hoyle. The death penalty: A worldwide perspective. OUP Oxford, 2015:231-345.
3. Hood, Roger. "Capital Punishment A Global Perspective." Punishment & Society 3.3 (2001): 331-354.
4. Kaufman, Sarah Beth. "The death of the American death penalty: states still leading the way." Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews 43.4 (2014): 545-547.
5. Manners, Ian. "Normative power Europe: a contradiction in terms?." JCMS: Journal of common market studies 40.2 (2002): 235-258.
6. Mocan, H. Naci, and R. Kaj Gittings. "Getting off death row: Commuted sentences and the deterrent effect of capital punishment." Journal of Law and Economics 46.2 (2003): 453- 478.
7. Mooney, Christopher Z., and Mei?Hsien Lee. "The influence of values on consensus and contentious morality policy: US death penalty reform, 1956–82." Journal of Politics 62.1 (2000): 223-239.
8. Sarat, Austin, and Christian Boulanger, eds. The cultural lives of capital punishment: Comparative perspectives. Stanford University Press, 2005: 245-312.
9. Schabas, William. The abolition of the death penalty in international law. Cambridge University Press, 2002: 123-245.
10. Steiker, Carol S. "Capital punishment and American exceptionalism." Or. L. Rev. 81 (2002): 97.
11. Tabak, Ronald J. "Finality Without Fairness: Why We Are Moving Towards Moratoria on Executions, and the
    

Potential Abolition of Capital Punishment." Conn. L. Rev. 33 (2000): 733.