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Lily Downs

Ms. Gardner

English 10 H/Period 4

2 May 2017

Debating Capital Punishment: There Are No Pros

Capital punishment, authorized killing of a convicted criminal, is economically and

ethically costly. It has become a widespread topic, invoking questions due to the violation of

ethics and the price we pay to kill. Capital punishment must stop: It expenses the government,

tears families apart, and sets a negative example for the rest of the world.

Some people agree with the death penalty--if someone kills another person they deserve

the same fate. People who support capital punishment believe criminals dig their own grave by

committing a crime deserving of the death penalty, therefore they should be murdered for their

wrongs. According to David Von Drehle of Time magazine, capital punishment serves three

main purposes. First, there are not enough secure prisons to house violent criminals for long

periods of time. Secondly, although discredited by time the death penalty was a way of

showing white supremacy (setting an example for slave uprisings). And the third point is what

Drehle describes as a visceral and compelling force--justice. The Time editor and author says,

Its the force that has kept the death penalty going as long as it has (Drehle). However, does

this law allow the disturbed murderers a chance to become a better person? Most people who

have killed another person have gone through great hardships, have not been shown the love all

humans deserve. And by sentencing them to death, we are affirming their exaggerated belief that

there is no hope in this world, that there is no good.

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One substantial downside of capital punishment is the cost. The Death Penalty

Information Center states that for each case in which the death penalty is sought it costs $1.26

million. Investing this execution money into a different cause, such as counselling, would be

more beneficial to society. Imagine the message it would send if all murderers turned into the

kindest people in the world, if we gave even the worst people a second chance. It would show

there is hope for anyone and everyone. The Death Penalty is state based not nation wide, so state

legislators have the power to sentence criminals who have committed capital crimes such as

murder (Cornell University Law School)-- Clearly, even with modern advancements, the death

penalty is inherently flawed. U.S. government officials often say their hands are tied, since this is

a matter largely decided by state law (Heleringer). So Capital punishment, believed to benefit

society, is actually detrimental due to its high cost. Ceasing the death penalty is vital because we

should not be spending money on ending human lives, especially those who need our help.

Not only is capital punishment financially expensive, it is emotionally expensive.

Growing up, we are taught to hurt no living thing. Killing an individual, no matter what the

circumstances, is a serious, grueling, and complex matter. That is why it is against societys

rules and ethics to kill someone. According to Courier Journal, If a society that calls itself

civilized has any legitimate claim to that status and believes sincerely in the sanctity of all human

life as unique and precious in the eyes of God it simply cannot also enforce and carry out the

executions of human beings for crimes committed (Heleringer). Meaning, if we, as a society,

consider ourselves civil human beings, we would not find murder to be a solution to a crime. If

murder is what we are trying to stop, whats the point of executing people? In addition, there is

such a thing as aggravating factors--Aspects of the crime, of the defendant, or of the victim(s)
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which render the defendant eligible for either the death penalty or life in prison without the

possibility of parole (Findlaw) that play a part in sentencing. In summation, the circumstances

of the murder are investigated and considered while the criminal is sentenced. However, to

justify th the death penalty is to justify murder. Capital punishment is highly unethical, therefore

it should be illegal.

Yes, some say capital punishment could have a preventative effect on criminals.

However, there is not enough research to support this idea, and instead of killing criminals, we

should be trying to help them learn and grow. To further prove this claim, University of

Colorado Professors, Michael Radelet and Traci Lacock recently conducted a study using people

who study crime: criminologists. They discovered that 88% of the nations leading

criminologists do not believe the death penalty is an effective deterrent to crime (Lacock,

Radelet). Not even the most intellectual individuals who study criminal behavior believe the

death penalty is an effective preventative measure. Jeff Jackoby, a journalist for The Globe,

argues: We do know for sure that when the cost of a crime goes up, the frequency of that crime

goes down. He also states that, When the death penalty is on the books and consistently

enforced, a significant number of homicides will be prevented (Jackoby). Jackoby may have a

point, that if Americans knew they could murder someone with little punishment, they would be

more likely to act on their homicidal impulses. But A) Without the death penalty, murderers still

face life imprisonment and B) How do we test his theory, how can he know that what he says is

the truth? Besides, Michael Radelet and Traci Lacocks research says otherwise. America should

not rip apart its families due to their faults. America should do everything it can to help those

individuals back into their families. Obviously, capital punishment leaves no room for criminals
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to improve their values or motives so isn't it hypocritical to teach others to not do something by

doing that very thing?

In conclusion, the death penalty should be made illegal in all fifty states because it is not

only expensive and unethical, it is simply wrong. We need to put an end to a practice that is not

consistent with current knowledge about mental illness and fundamental principles of human

decency (Taft). Would you want your child murdered for killing someone? As Heleringer

inquires: Does killing the killers really honor the memories of those victims? What kind of

example does that teach our children - that our reaction to the most pernicious act carried out by

one human being upon another (the act of taking a life) is to take that person's life? Two wrongs

do not make a right. So why is killing someone for murder legal or okay? To end a human life

you must understand what life is, and how valuable it is. If someone has the capacity to end a

human life, they have a lot of learning to do.

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Works Cited

Drehle, David Von. Capital Punishment: The End of the Death Penalty. Time, Time, 8 June

2015,

http://time.com/deathpenalty/

Jacoby, Jeff. When Murder is Punished with Death, Fewer Criminals Will Murder Boston

Globe,

SIRS Issues Researcher, 26 Aug, 2016,

https://sks.sirs.com/webapp/article?artno=386414&type=ART

Heleringer, Bob. It's Time for Capital Punishment to Die. Courier-Journal. SIRS Issues

Researcher.

08 Feb, 2017 https://sks.sirs.com/webapp/article?artno=0000391157&type=ART

Lacock, T, and M Radelet. Study: 88% of Criminologists Do Not Believe the Death Penalty Is

an Effective Deterrent. Death Penalty Information Center, Northwestern

University, 2017,

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/study-88-criminologists-do-not-believe-death-penalty

-effective-deterrent

Schouten, Lucy. Why New Mexico Wants to Restore the Death Penalty Christian Science

Monitor,

SIRS Issues Researcher, 18 Aug, 2016,

http://sks.sirs.com/webapp/article?artno=385696&type=ART

Staff, LII. Death Penalty. LII / Legal Information Institute, 6 Aug. 2007,
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www.law.cornell.edu/wex/death_penalty

Taft, Bob, and Joseph E. Kernan. End this Inhumane Punishment. Washington Post, SIRS

Issues Researcher, 26 Mar, 2017,

http://sks.sirs.com/webapp/article?artno=0000391937&type=ART

Costs of the Death Penalty. Costs of the Death Penalty | Death Penalty Information

Center, Death Penalty Information Center, 2017,

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/costs-death-penalty