The Pros And Cons Of Capital Punishment

“You can release an innocent man from prison, but you can’t release him from the grave.” Since the 1970s, over 140 criminals have been released from their death sentences due to new evidence proving their wrongful convictions. The death penalty is a sentence of execution for murder and other capital crimes. It is controversial because it is used in some states but not others. Countless people live by different moral and ethical standards, which further contributes to the controversy. People think the death penalty should be allowed because it would be better to die than spend life in prison and it mitigates the victim’s family’s suffering. Conversely, others support the abolishment of the death penalty because they believe no one should have to await the fate on death row if falsely convicted. Considering this, the fact that the death …show more content…
Many argue that an execution is the solution to the pain endured by a murder victim’s family. These victims want closure to the murder of their loved ones, and the government thinks the death penalty is the best way to give it to them. However, the death penalty creates additional victims. For example, “When a prisoner is executed, that person is often someone’s parent, someone’s child. The Commission gave no consideration to the impact the death penalty has upon the family of the condemned, but when the state carries out an execution, his or her surviving family members become the family of a homicide victim” (Evans). Death penalty cases take several years before reaching a resolution. As a result, murder victims’ families interact with the criminal justice system for a longer time than they would if the