Death Penalty

The death penalty has been a controversial topic of history for many centuries. States today still have it as their highest form of punishment. But is it right? The death penalty is the most cruel and inhumane punishment for any convict. People believe that it is the proper deterrent for dangerous crimes and a way to get criminals out of the community. Although it is quick and legal, it is actually against a human right. It is going against the human right to live. This punishment is basically doing the same the murderer did, but it's legal. The first person to face the execution of the electric chair was William Kemmler. Kemmler murdered his wife and was sentenced to death in 1890. He became the first person in the world that was executed by the electric chair. He had lawyers that believed that believed that this form of execution was a cruel and unusual punishment. This case started the whole controversy of the death penalty in the U.S. Many people are for it while many people are against it.

It is true that the death penalty is cheaper than holding a criminal in a maximum security prison for a lifetime. But, not every criminal is sentenced to life imprisonment. Lifetime in prison is a more deserving punishment and sentenced to death. One cannot disregard that the execution is practically painless. The procedure is a lethal injection where there is no suffering endured. The alternate to the death penalty is life in prison. The prisoner will never live the same way again. They won't be able to see their families and they can only reflect on their past decisions. One key element in someone's life is taken away once they get life in prison, freedom. Dwight Eisenhower once said "If you want total security, go to prison. There you're fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking...is freedom." Life in prison will give a criminal mental pain. The prisoner will be affected each and every day from mental pain. It will destroy someone that knows they have to rot in a prison cell for the rest of their life. That is the punishment that they really deserve. Nobody should be "legally" killed.

Nevertheless, there may have been some people that were innocent when sentenced to death. According to the Michael McLaughlin of the Huffington Post, "More than four percent of inmates sentenced to death in the United States are probably innocent..." This is what the researchers estimated. However, this may be accurate. There is a study in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" states that there are a surprising number of innocent people that have been sentenced to death. They also do believe that four percent of people executed are innocent. People do get falsely accused of actions they didn't commit, but getting the death penalty for being accused of murder is just wrong.

Even though I am against the death penalty, there are some positive reasons of the death penalty that are understandable. The factor of fear plays a role in the death penalty. Former First Lady, Nancy Reagan stated, "I believe that people would be alive today if there were a death penalty." Knowing that they will get executed may change one's mind about murdering someone. The criminal justice system doesn't want to spend the money to keep people imprisoned for life. Execution is cheap and that is why most people in the criminal justice system are in favor for the death penalty. In addition, our country is so far in debt that saving some money be a good idea. Is that really more valuable than protecting our citizen’s human rights? I can understand some positive reasons in the death penalty, but I am still against it.

In conclusion, the death penalty is an expensive and cruel punishment. Murder is not alright in the real world. Then why is it okay for the death penalty? If you look at it, the death penalty is murder. It is also morally wrong. The government should not be able to decide if somebody should die. Criminals should spend their lives in jail. This is a more deserving punishment than the quick death penalty where there is no suffering.