The legal definition of the death penalty in Merriam-Webster is death as punishment with reference to a crime. The death penalty also known as capital punishment is a fancy word for legally killing people (Amsterdam). Since 1796 there have been 1,434 people who have been executed through capital punishment. Currently approximately 3,300 people still await execution in the United States.This form of punishment is expensive, cruel, violates human rights, and an execution of the innocent could very well take place. Considering these items, the death penalty should not be an acceptable form of punishment. Studies show that the cost of the death penalty is outrageous. The costs are not in the execution itself but in the preparing for the execution.
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The death penalty causes outrage or offense to American values, and human dignity. We are all created equal and are establish with inalienable rights (Capital Punishment Should be Abolished). These inalienable rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We should not be depriving the fundamental human rights, such as life, even the life of those sentenced to crimes. The death penalty is even often applied in a discriminatory manner. Non-discrimination or equality falls under these inalienable rights. According to deathpenaltyinfo.org there are many studies on race. Studies such as jurors in Washington state are three times more likely to recommend a death sentence for a black defendant than for a white defendant in a similar case. Next in Louisiana, in 2011, the odds of a death sentence were 97% higher for those whose victim was white than for those whose victim was black. A study in California found that those who killed whites were over 3 times more likely to be sentenced to death than those who killed blacks and over 4 times more likely than those who killed Latinos. These examples are just a few discriminatory facts based on …show more content…
This risk of executing innocent people is simply too high (Capital Punishment Should Be Abolished). Since 1973, more than 150 people have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence(DEATH PENALTY INFORMATION CENTER). There have been approximately 156 exonerations. The definition of death row exoneration is releasing someone from death row. From 1973-1999, there was an average of 3 exonerations per year. From 2000-2011, there was an average of 5 exonerations per year. Because innocent people have been released from death row, who is to say this system works? The number of exonerations is proof that the death penalty, and the trials are not always fair and the judgment can be
The death penalty causes outrage or offense to American values, and human dignity. We are all created equal and are establish with inalienable rights (Capital Punishment Should be Abolished). These inalienable rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We should not be depriving the fundamental human rights, such as life, even the life of those sentenced to crimes. The death penalty is even often applied in a discriminatory manner. Non-discrimination or equality falls under these inalienable rights. According to deathpenaltyinfo.org there are many studies on race. Studies such as jurors in Washington state are three times more likely to recommend a death sentence for a black defendant than for a white defendant in a similar case. Next in Louisiana, in 2011, the odds of a death sentence were 97% higher for those whose victim was white than for those whose victim was black. A study in California found that those who killed whites were over 3 times more likely to be sentenced to death than those who killed blacks and over 4 times more likely than those who killed Latinos. These examples are just a few discriminatory facts based on …show more content…
This risk of executing innocent people is simply too high (Capital Punishment Should Be Abolished). Since 1973, more than 150 people have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence(DEATH PENALTY INFORMATION CENTER). There have been approximately 156 exonerations. The definition of death row exoneration is releasing someone from death row. From 1973-1999, there was an average of 3 exonerations per year. From 2000-2011, there was an average of 5 exonerations per year. Because innocent people have been released from death row, who is to say this system works? The number of exonerations is proof that the death penalty, and the trials are not always fair and the judgment can be