Justice Persuasive Essay

“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” (Voltaire) Killing, or taking of another’s life has always been perceived as immoral and unjust. Capital Punishment, or most commonly known as “The Death Penalty,” is the punishment given to the criminals who have done appalling acts to the society, such as mass murder. There are currently 36 states allowing the death penalty, and must change this ideal due to the fact that it is a barbaric, unethical, and an inhumane way of giving punishment. The people, specifically the states who allow them, should focus on terminating the death penalty because it is a nefarious way of dealing with criminals in which it practically renders them unable to amend their ways, costs more than genuine crime control which can be used for more essential needs, and does not have an actual purpose of suppressing crime, making it useless in society. The government should instead look for a better and ethical way of disciplining them in order to show that a human life, should be treasured and not undermined because it cannot be recreated after being destroyed.

Clearly, committing criminalities are to be dealt with seriously and should punish the offenders so that they will correct their ways. The death penalty, practically murdering someone due to their detrimental acts to society, is also saying that since the person did something malicious, the society shall put an end to their existence to get rid of cause of the problem. Ever since 1976, there has been 1227 lethal injections, 158 electrocutions, 11 gas chambers, 3 hangings, and also 3 deaths by firing squad. (DPIC) According to these statistics, people have discovered several ways to putting an end to criminal’s lives, and what they call “getting rid of troublemakers.” People are bound to make mistakes, it is apart of human nature. Is it really ethical to end someone’s life by the approval of the government? No, it is not. The human life is delicate and cannot be recreated. Although men make mistakes, such as the criminals that have been put in capital punishment, they should not be prohibited of the chance to correct their ways and instead given the opportunity to choose the right path. Also, the choice of choosing to put someone on death row can be influenced on the act even without presenting proper evidence. In 1994, Rodney Reed, a man on Texas’ death row since 1998, due to his assumed murder of a woman, was denied important DNA evidence that could prove his innocence, which it did. Obviously the court had rushed in the judging of this man by his acts, without actually looking for definite evidence that showed he committed this crime. The fact that the court was quick to announce his execution, shows how the decision made was mostly influenced by their personal emotions rather than logical reasoning. All in all, the death penalty belittles the value of life in that the society, more specifically the government, chooses whether to deny someone's right to keep living.

Additionally, the death penalty costs more than regular law enforcement. If there is a cheaper way to fulfill something, would it not be reasonable to choose that option rather than waste resources? The average cost of a death penalty case can be around $2.4 billion. (Bureau of Justice Statistics) A Seattle University study examining the costs of the death penalty in Washington found that each death penalty case cost an average of $1 million more than a similar case where the death penalty was not sought out ($3.07 million against $2.01 million).  Each method of execution has their own price range, but they all contribute to a massive price in the end. The lethal injection costs around $1,300. (Safdar) The average cost of defending a trial in a federal death case is $620,932, about 8 times more than a federal murder case in which the death penalty is not sought. (DPIC) In other words, by using the death penalty, much of the government’s money is used on killing people, instead of using it to improve the quality of living in the nations such as developing roads, schools, and quality of living to the poor. Also, the captivity of the criminal can be taken into account in that a death penalty case costs an average of $2.3 million, about three times the cost of imprisoning someone in a single cell at the highest security level for 40 years. (DPIC). Even before the death penalty, the preparations shows how much money it takes compared to regular law enforcement. In financially strapped California, one report estimated that the state could save $90 million each year by abolishing capital punishment. (DPIC) All these facts point towards how many resources the nation is wasting by putting all of it on one aspect rather than focusing on other important tasks.  The nation should not use these resources into lessening the value of a life, and instead use more ethical ways of discipline which allows other resources to be used in other essential areas of the society.

Lastly, the death penalty serves no visible purpose, which is to deter crime by scaring potential criminals into not committing crime at all. In 2011, the murder rate in states allowing death penalty was 4.89 while states who do not approve of the death penalty was 4.13. (David Cooper) As shown, there is an obvious difference in the effect of using death penalty in that even with the use of the death penalty crime did not lower, but even increased compared to states without the death penalty.  According to the study published in the Journal of Criminal Law, “88% of of the country’s top criminologists do not believe the death penalty acts as a deterrent to homicide…”(Professor Michael Radelet) A report by the National Research Council, titles Deterrence and the Death Penalty, stated that 88% of experts claim that the death penalty lower homicide rates. (DCIM) As something so useless and wasteful, is it still reasonable to keep using the Death Penalty to punish wrongdoers? This should not be a hard question to answer. Serving no purpose whatsoever, it should be eliminated from every place that support this idea. Death penalty, proved useless other than decreasing the value of life, should not be enforced any longer so that society will not make any wasteful actions in order to further develop the idle society.

However, some may say that the death penalty is effective in that it gives the victim’s family some closure because the criminal is eliminated from everyones’ lives and cannot harm anyone else. What the grief-stricken families do not understand is that if they kill the criminal, they are no better than them as they also have ended another human’s life. However, if they are put in jail with a lifetime sentence without parole instead of pursuing the death penalty, the family can do a lot more  justice in the time the criminal is in the cell, they can use that time to amend their wrongdoings. Whereas the death penalty is a quick one time solution, lifetime without parole would ensure that the criminal’s debt is fully paid. The criminals now have time to reflect and are punished for as long as they live. They also would have to perform humane punishments, while also helping the community. The families also do not know what good they can do if the death penalty is not sought. In Texas, a death penalty case costs taxpayers an average of $2.3 million, about three times the cost of imprisoning someone in a single cell at the highest security level for 40 years. Instead of seeking the death penalty, they can put the criminal behind bars for life and then allowing for other problems to be taken into account. It costs six times more to execute a person in Florida than to incarcerate a prisoner for life without parole. Also, there could be a case of framing, causing an innocent person to die rather than the actual person who committed the crime. In 2010, an innocent man was executed for supposedly killing his three children. Later on, they proved that he was not the one who committed the crime. This shows how even good framers can still get away with crime. Death is irreversible and irreparable. Choosing regular law punishments can greatly reduce this problem because since the assumed criminal will still be alive, justice can still be served to them and to the true offender.
The death penalty is barbaric and inhumane, costs more to the society than helping, and proves pointless in which it does not discourage crime, therefore it should be retired from the U.S justice system. According to public opinion, a poll by Lake Research Partners found that the majority of voters (61%) would choose punishment other than the death penalty for murder (DPIC). People should choose a better way to punish someone because since disciplining is showing the right way to someone, it should at least be done in the right and ethical way. There are more efficient options than the death penalty such as life without parole, meaning that the criminal would stay behind bars without any chance of getting released, assuring that they are punished for their entire life. A teenager’s voice will have no effect on Congress, but Congress cannot ignore all of America. Go to your local government representative and make a petition to get the death penalty removed to take a stand on this immoral injustice. If enough of us sign the petition, we can be able to

MLA Citations

Cooper, David. "Deterrence: States Without the Death Penalty Have Had Consistently Lower Murder Rates." Deterrence: States Without the Death Penalty Have Had Consistently Lower Murder Rates. Death Penalty Information Center, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.

Dieter, Richard. "Millions Misspent: What Politicians Don't Say About the High Costs of the Death Penalty." Death Penalty Info. Death Penalty Information Center, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.
Safdar, Khadeeja. "Legally Killing People Has Gotten A Lot More Expensive." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.
"Costs of the Death Penalty." Death Penalty Info. Death Penalty Information Center, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
Facts about the Death Penalty. Washington, DC: Death Penalty Information Center, 1999. Web.
Radelet, Michael. "Study: 88% of Criminologists Do Not Believe the Death Penalty Is an Effective Deterrent." Death Penalty Info. Death Penalty Information Center, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
Facts about the Death Penalty. Washington, DC: Death Penalty Information Center, 1999.Death Penalty Info. Death Penalty Information Center, 11 Feb. 2015. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.
"Family Seeks Pardon for Executed Man Convicted on Faulty Science." Family Seeks Pardon for Executed Man Convicted on Faulty Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
"Deterrence: States Without the Death Penalty Have Had Consistently Lower Murder Rates." Deterrence: States Without the Death Penalty Have Had Consistently Lower Murder Rates. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.

"Rodney Reed: Innocent on Death Row." Rodney Reed: Innocent on Death Row. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

"Death Penalty Statistics." Statistic Brain RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.
"Costs of the Death Penalty." Costs of the Death Penalty. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

"Death Penalty Focus : The High Cost of the Death Penalty." Death Penalty Focus : The High Cost of the Death Penalty. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

"Family Seeks Pardon for Executed Man Convicted on Faulty Science." Family Seeks Pardon for Executed Man Convicted on Faulty Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.