Some people say that crime keeps going up. Others say that it is going down as time goes on. Either way, some people feel that capital punishment is a deterrent of crime. Others feel that the death penalty is inhumane and a cruel and unusual punishment that will never be appropriate, no matter what the crime was. People who are pro-capital punishment theorize that a person is less likely to commit a crime because they do not want to die at the hands of the government. People saying the opposite, however, believe that no matter what, capital punishment will not deter crime. Their reasoning is something along the lines of “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”, meaning that they do not believe that a person should be killed because
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While the justice system tries its best to find the right people who committed a crime, it is made up of humans who can and will make mistakes. Because of this, people who are actually innocent can be determined guilty. If they are sentenced to the death penalty (and the state goes through with it) and new evidence (or even old evidence) shows that they are actually innocent, they cannot bring that person back to life. If they are sentenced to life in prison, however, and they are found to be not guilty, they are able to be released from prison. It is not an ideal situation but it is better than dying for a crime that a person did not commit. Also, if the person was framed for the crime they are able to move on with their life from prison when they are found not guilty.
While there are a few pros on what capital punishment can do, such as the ultimate punishment to the worst criminals to being more cost effective, many studies show that it does not deter crime. The inmates who committed the crime would have still committed the crime due to various reasons, from the heat of passion to being under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Because of this and the fact that a person may be innocent, capital punishment just seems like a cruel and unusual punishment that does not help with the crime
While the justice system tries its best to find the right people who committed a crime, it is made up of humans who can and will make mistakes. Because of this, people who are actually innocent can be determined guilty. If they are sentenced to the death penalty (and the state goes through with it) and new evidence (or even old evidence) shows that they are actually innocent, they cannot bring that person back to life. If they are sentenced to life in prison, however, and they are found to be not guilty, they are able to be released from prison. It is not an ideal situation but it is better than dying for a crime that a person did not commit. Also, if the person was framed for the crime they are able to move on with their life from prison when they are found not guilty.
While there are a few pros on what capital punishment can do, such as the ultimate punishment to the worst criminals to being more cost effective, many studies show that it does not deter crime. The inmates who committed the crime would have still committed the crime due to various reasons, from the heat of passion to being under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Because of this and the fact that a person may be innocent, capital punishment just seems like a cruel and unusual punishment that does not help with the crime