5 Reasons Why The Death Penalty Is Wrong
Published Sept 13, 2021
Most countries in the world have already abolished capital punishment. Capital punishments, also known as death penalties, are the act of killing a convicted person as punishment for their crime. It can be done in different ways depending on the convicted person’s choice. They can choose from firing squads, hanging, the electric chair, and lethal injections.
The United States is one of the countries that still use the death penalty as a punishment. However, the majority of their population now believe that a life sentence is a better punishment than the death penalty. So why should countries like the United States stop giving out death penalties? Here are five reasons why the death penalty is wrong.
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Inhumane
The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment is the international human rights treaty, and its goal is to prevent inhumane actions. Even though the convention doesn’t call out the death penalty, many people believe that the actions of the death penalty can fall under this treaty.
The methods of dying you can choose from are all cruel, and the most decent method is using lethal injections. However, executions with lethal injections can bring severe pain to the prisoner. Sometimes the injections don’t work as fast as expected and cause the prisoner to suffer longer. Therefore, even the most decent option offered is an inhumane and cruel way of dying.
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Usually affects a certain group
Any person, a black or white defendant, poor or privileged, mentally ill or mentally stable, is all capable of committing a crime. Still, research shows that the mentally ill, people of color, and the poor are most inmates on death row. According to Mental Health America, 20% of inmates on death row in the U.S. have a severe mental illness. In 2019, 52% of prisoners with death sentences were black-colored people. Poor people are more likely to be accused and convicted because they don’t have the reputation and money to get their personal lawyer. This shows the unjust biased system of some courts. Some of them may be falsely accused because of their color, illness, or status but still suffer the punishment for something they didn’t do.
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Can be executed for the wrong reasons
Capital punishments are usually given for severe crimes like murder or rape. But, some countries’ governments use the death penalty even in drug-related offenses, burglary, adultery, blasphemy, and political crimes. It is sometimes executed even in crimes that aren’t that serious for the wrong reasons. It’s used by some governments for their own purposes to gain more control and power. With the death penalty, authorities can declare executions even in insignificant crimes, violating human rights.
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Can’t be undone when the convicted turns out to be innocent
Our justice system is unjust. With the lack of time and evidence, anyone can be falsely accused. Imagine how many falsely accused prisoners died because of the biased justice system. If they only had more time to prove themselves innocent, they wouldn’t have been killed. You can’t bring a person back from the dead, can you?
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 185 people were wrongly accused and pardoned since 1973. With the use of new technologies like DNA testing, many falsely accused are found innocent. However, the punishment by death is too severe to be executed or used, especially by some biased justice system.
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Doesn’t prevent crimes
Some might think that if being sentenced to death is executed, people will get scared of doing the crime and end up not doing it. However, if the death penalty is effective, there shouldn’t be any murderers left. So why should capital punishment still be executed if it only takes lives? No study shows the death penalty is effective in preventing crimes.
Conclusion
Even though 70% of countries in the world abolished the death penalty, there are still countries that execute capital punishments, like the United States. Death penalties are cruel, inhuman, or degrading, especially if the convicted is falsely accused.
Killing the person accused wouldn’t reverse any of the things he did. So why bother killing a person? Life sentence for the accused can already give the victim justice. They shouldn’t waste time and resources to kill a person if they eventually die inside the prison. Instead of providing justice for just one victim, the person falsely accused also became a victim that needs justice.
The remaining 30% of countries in the world should know why the death penalty is wrong. If it only offers inhumane actions, countries like the United States should consider abolishing it.
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About The Author
Krizzia Paolyn is an SEO Specialist with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. It has always been her passion to share her voice, and at the same time, to encourage other people to speak up.
