Capital Punishment Flaws

The first federal execution in the United States dates back to June 25, 1790, when Thomas Bird was hung in Massachusetts. Since this day, there have been approximately 1,421 citizens executed by capital punishment. Around four percent of people that have been executed were later found out to be innocent. There is absolutely no excuses for the loss of innocent American lives, which can be deemed as one of the biggest flaws of capital punishment. The United States is supposed to be have on one of the best justice systems in the world, but a country that sentenced innocent people to death does not sound justifiable. Throughout history, there have been cases in which states have abolished the use of capital punishment in that particular state. According to Historical Timeline, “In 1897, U.S. Congress passed a bill reducing the number of federal death crimes” (“Historical Timeline,” n.d.). However, executions resumed in 1976 with the case of Georgia v. Gregg, which …show more content…
Some states have abolished the use of death penalty, while in some states the death penalty is still in full swing. The death penalty has too many flaws and possibilities for mistake to continue as a form of punishment in the United States. Although to some people it may seem as if justice is being served when a prisoner on death row gets killed, but it is a sorry excuse for a vengeful action. Two wrongs do not make a right. The bottom line is it is more expensive to keep a prisoner on death row, the death penalty is unethical and leads to the death off innocent lives, and it has shown no significant decline in criminal activity. Based on the evidence provided in this paper, the death penalty needs to be abolished once and for all. All of the evidence has proved the point that capital punishment is not beneficial to society in terms of ethics, economics, or