Capital Punishment Should Be Illegal

Imagine that you are arrested and going to be tried for a crime that you did, or did not, commit. What if you cannot afford the cost of a lawyer? Will you be able to handle the physical and mental toll that all of the appeals have on a person? The death penalty, or capital punishment, is one of the most debated topics in America. It has been used for centuries, but many claim it to be barbaric, and want the practice to end all together. The death penalty should only be used in cases where there is absolute evidence that the criminal is guilty, because life in prison can be an alternative, there are many flaws in the justice system, and it can be a cruel and unusual punishment.

Since 2000, there have been over 200 exonerations from death row. More than half of these exonerations are because of DNA evidence that is found which proves a defendant innocent. The reason for these exonerations is that people make mistakes, there is no way to be fully positive of somebody else’s guilt. In some cases, evidence found against a defendant could just come down to bad timing. People may agree or disagree with capital punishment because it can become a very controversial topic. The main argument against the death penalty is that it is no longer morally correct and goes against certain beliefs. The death penalty should remain illegal in Canada because it costs more for taxpayers than life without the possibility of parole, it

Capital Punishment is not a fair choice to do and it violates the human right to life. Everyone is born with the human right to life, even those who commit any type of crime; sentencing a person to death and executing them violates that right ( ). Just because a murderer killed someone, it does not mean their life should be taken away for punishment. It is generally accepted that people should not be punished for their actions unless they are guilty ( ). Whether the person is guilty is guilty or not they should not be given a deadly punishment. He inmates should just be locked up in prison and die from natural causes. When the prisoner becomes executed it is painful and cruel.

People may think capital punishment is a good thing that the criminals deserve to die for the horrible crime they have committed. But the truth is that capital punishment is expensive, it violates the U.S Constitution, sentencing someone to jail for life is a worse punishment than being sentenced to death, and the death penalty goes against God and several religious beliefs. There are also innocent people on death row and that the death penalty is not a crime deterrent. These are some reasons why it should be illegal to give criminals the death sentence.

In September, 1983, 11 year old Sabrina Buie was found dead. She had been beaten, raped, and suffocated. The police received a confession from 19 year old Henry Lee McCollum and 15 year old Leon Brown. Both were convicted and were sentenced to death. After spending 30 years in prison, the men were released because they were proven innocent. Another man was responsible for the crime, his name was Roscoe Artis. Henry and Leon gave false confessions, and they currently have maintained their innocence ("The Innocent on Death Row"). Capital punishment has always been an issue for a multitude of reasons. Two innocent men were almost killed because of official error and misconduct. Although the death penalty can sometimes be justifiable based on crimes, the death penalty should be illegal in the United States.

The Death Penalty, also, known as, Capital Punishment, is the sentence of execution, for serious crimes punishable by death, through means prescribed by congress, through laws agreed upon by state legislatures (uslegal.com).

Every little thing had been managing to build up, and I began to feel as if I couldn't breath. The days just seemed to drag on for no other reason than to cause me pain, and while I would admit I did deserve punishment for the crimes I had committed, I just couldn't help but wonder if maybe I had paid enough already. I had already known nothing but pain my entire life. I had nothing and no one to call my own, and the universe just kept pushing more onto my plate.

Do you think that death penalty will give justice for the innocent lives? The death penalty continues to be an issue of controversy in the whole world because people have different beliefs for giving justice to the innocents. For some people, they want it legal because death penalty will give justice for the innocent victims and a form of vengeance to the criminals. On the flipside, other people don’t agree with it because a lot of innocents are putting into death. These people believe that it is better to put the criminal into jail without a parole unless there is a proof that he or she is innocent instead of removing the human rights of the criminal to live and have a chance to change his or her life. Although some people think that death penalty should be legal, I believe it should not be legal.

You are clothed in a bright orange jumpsuit with your arms and legs shackled with heavy chains, giving you no choice but to slowly shuffle down the hallway. There are 6 by 8 cement rooms with barred doors, cages, keeping a person in, and everyone else out. Hope left you decades ago, when they locked you away from the rest of the world. You know where you are heading, strapped to a bed with three hooded men pushing drugs into your body through IV bags, drugs that will kill you within minutes. Should this be legal, or should criminals have to live with their crimes?

Imagine yourself lying on a bed, being somewhat conscious, not being able to move any part of your body and then slowly starting to asphyxiate. After the choking, would come a burning sensation throughout your whole body that is so intense, it feels like you are in the fiery pits of Hell. Then would come the worst muscle cramp that you have ever felt in your entire life, however, it is not only just your calf or thigh, it is your entire body. Then finally your heart gives out on you because you have just gone into cardiac arrest. That experience is not a dream for a convicted felon who has received the death penalty sentence, it is his or her reality. The drugs used in the lethal injections are Sodium Thiopental or Pentobarbital which acts as an anesthetic, Pancuranium bromide, also known as Pavulon, which acts as a paralytic, and Potassium Chloride, which gives the inmate all of those sensations before sending him or her into cardiac arrest. The company that is contracted by the United States Government to make the drug Sodium Thiopental, Hospira, has officially stopped making this drug due to global outrage by death penalty opponents. This requires states to now figure out a new way to execute the people on death row. A firing squad method would be the easiest and most efficient to implement. Lethal injections do not always work like they should. Lethal injections are also not always pain free. In fact, according to newscientist.com over 90% of inmates felt pain, and over

The death penalty has been has been questioned about whether it is a reasonable sentence based on our 8th Amendment Right which protects us from cruel and unusual punishment. In the 1976, Gregg v. Georgia case the U. S. Supreme Court chose to uphold the death penalty. The only way an offender can be sentenced to the death penalty is if they have intentionally taken the life of the victim. A large number of Americans are afraid of putting an innocent individual to death for a crime they did not commit. Offender’s that are found to be guilty and sentenced to the death penalty sit on death row with more the adequate time to file appeals to their sentences. The average offender spends at least a decade on death row. A direct appeal begins with the state’s highest court when someone is sentenced to the death penalty where offenders are given the opportunity to have the death sentenced overturned. In some states, it is required, however in other states it is the offender’s decision. After the completion of this appeal, it is the offender’s decision to attempt another appeal in a higher court, in an attempt to get the sentence of death overturned. If the offender does not get the sentence overturned, the offender will remain sentenced to death most likely by lethal injection; lethal injection is a less painful, more humane way to execute the offender. Some states allow the offenders to choose from various approved means of execution to include death by firing squad, hanging,

America is there to protect all of the people and that includes the criminals that are on death row.

In America, when someone is convicted of murder, they are put on trial to receive the death penalty. Some say it is what they deserve, while others say that it is a “cruel and unusual”punishment. States, such as New Jersey, have already banned the penalty, but some states are still pending on whether to have the penalty or to follow New Jersey’s path .

There are many legal issues that come along with the death penalty. Ratified on December 15, 1791, The United States Bill of Rights states in its eight amendment, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” (8th Amendment to the Constitution). The Supreme Court stated during the 1958 case of Trop v. Dulles, that the 8th amendment "must draw its meaning from the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society” (Goldberg, 1778). Abiding by this definition, the death penalty is nowhere near decent; therefore it should not be used. This law clearly states that cruel or unusual punishment shall not be used on anybody, so how can death not be looked at as cruel or unusual? What about the agony of waiting on death row just to be put to death? As the Death Penalty Information Center website notes, “Death row inmates in the U.S. typically spend over a decade awaiting execution. Some prisoners have been on death row for well over 20 years” (Death Penalty Information Center). Prisoners who are on death row are generally isolated from other prisoners. They do not get to participate in prison activities or employment programs. They also are restricted on visitation and exercise time, and could spend up to 23 hours a day sitting in their isolated cell. Some people may be able to argue that performing the execution is quick and easy, but the process of getting to that point is not. For some

Although most people have debated that giving someone the death penalty seems inhumane closer examination shows that the death penalty might be just what the society needs to protect their family members and loved ones. The controversial issue regarding the death penalty has been around for hundreds of years. Humans always have to take a side in whether they take this issue as ethical or inhumane to take away the life of someone that could be just like us. Taking away the life of an innocent seems disgusting and shameful to many individuals but what if the person being murdered was not all that innocent? What if that person who was given the death sentence was being trialed for killing one of your own families? It could have been a daughter or son, your mother or father that had their life end due to the pleasure of another individual thinking it was okay to remove that person from your life.