The Death Penalty Is An Imperfect System

Would it be true that capital punishment saves lives? Edward Koch, in his article “Death and Justice” believes it does. Koch, using common techniques to influence his audience, suggests that killers should be handled within this tried and avenged form of punishment. Koch opens his article by quoting convicted murderers Robert Lee Willie and Joseph Carl Shaw, both in the last moments of their lives pleading for the justice system to put a stop to the endless cycle of killing. Using simple logic, Koch argues that the sudden changing of the killers’ moral character is not a result of remorse for the victims, but rather an attempt to save their own lives from the killing hands of the justice system. Koch effectively uses these quotes to suggest to the reader that a killer might have thought twice about his/her own actions if the death sentence were a belief.

Capital punishment, otherwise known as the death penalty, is a controversial subject which has been argued for decades due to the ethical decisions involved. People believe the death penalty is the right thing to do and that it is the perfect example of ‘justice’ while others believe that it is immoral and overly expensive. The death penalty is not a logical sentence for criminals, it doesn’t give them the right type of justice and it is immoral.

In the essay, “A cruel and unusual kingdom”, by Leonard Pitts Jr. columnist for the Miami Herald, effectively argues that the use of the death penalty in the United States is inhumane, irrational and goes against American values. Though Pitts overall maintains a strong argument, writing style, and voice, he purely targets a supportive audience as he doesn’t include clear common ground nor a refutation of the other bias.

If we examine some arguments presented from both sides, opponents of the capital punishment claim that executing someone is nothing more than an immoral, state-authorized killing which undervalues the human life and destroys our respect for our government which itself says that killing is wrong. But the supporters of the death penalty think that certain murderers

David Bruck, attorney, disagrees with Edward Koch, that the death penalty “affirms life” (1985). David Bruck uses the example of the execution of Joseph Carl Shaw (page 1)

Compared to the death penalty, life in prison is perceived as an ethical decision, while the choice to inflict the death penalty is irreversible, the latter allows for better judgement in the long run. An article from, the Nation, contrasts the costs between both methods, "carrying out an execution costs at least twice as much-and perhaps five times as much- as sentencing a murderer to life without parole" (David Dow, Life Without Parole: A Different Death Penalty, the Nation). Clearly, if the economy is to be impacted to such an extent, then law enforcement must re-evaluate whether or not the death penalty is actually meaningful in the long run. If the government were to eliminate the funding used for resources towards the death row, and instead facilitate the money elsewhere, it would serve more meaningful purposes. Moreover, life in prison guarantees a, "Swift, severe punishment. It provides justice to survivors of murder victims and allows more resources to be invested in preventing violence." (Is Life in Prison without Parole a Better Option then Death Penalty, ProCon). The answer to seeking justice for one crime, should not be answered for by committing another. If this were a concept applied by people in everyday life, then murder rates would escalate and hold potential for anarchy. On a realistic thought, a majority of the problems related to the death penalty can be avoided through a more humane penance. It also leads to whether or not government institutions should have the warrant to issue capital

The victim did not do anything to deserve death, the criminal did. To counter the argument that capital punishment is uncivilized, Van Den Haag points out that most civilizations have had the death penalty at some point in their history. He also addresses the argument that the death sentence is degrading by showing that philosophers, such as Immanuel Kant, have said that execution affirms the criminal’s humanity by affirming their ability to make decisions and rationalize.

The use of capital punishment is a contentious social issue in the United States. Currently, it is a legal sentence in thirty-two states and illegal in eighteen (States With and Without the Death Penalty). Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty is “the punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime” (Oxford Dictionaries). A sentencing for the death penalty can be mete out due to a capital offense of treason, murder, arson, or rape. The most commonly used methods for capital punishment include lethal injection, handing, and electrocution. The act of capital punishment is unethical and immoral. Capital punishment is

Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is nothing new. It has been around for thousands of years. It is mentioned in the bible as punishment for over 30 different crimes. It is also found in the Code of Hammurabi, which dates back to 1750 BC. England, America’s “mother nation,” had seven crimes that were considered capital offenses by the end of the 15th century, and by the year 1800 there were over 200 capital crimes listed for the country (“Capital”). In the U.S. today the death penalty is a topic of concern for many. Former New York City mayor, Edward I. Koch, in his article, “Death and Justice” describes the situation perfectly. After using an analogy between capital punishment and cancer, and the “barbaric” methods we use to treat cancer, he wrote, “Murder is not the “disease” we are trying to cure. The disease is

First of all, death row prevents overcrowding in prisons. Prisons are already filled to the brim with prisoners, most of them there on drug offenses or assault charges. To mix in murderers or serial killers with that is a bad idea in the first place. It would be inhumane to let them sit in the filth of prisons that have too many people in them- prisoner or otherwise- to take care of the building. In an article entitled “Overcrowding” on the website Penal Reform International, it states, “Overcrowding, as well as related problems such as lack of privacy, can also cause of exacerbate mental health problems, and increase rates of

Capital punishment comes at a hefty price. A lot of tax dollars go to this supposed “justified deterrence” that is intended to reduce the rate of murder and crime. The money could be put to better use, such as reforming the criminal justice system and put funding into low-income neighborhoods and programs for at-risk youths. These would be better alternatives to the death penalty. Another point is the level effectiveness of the death penalty.

As a final point, on capital punishment the discussion turns to John Stuart Mill and his utilitarian view point that supports capital punishment. In Mill’s speech, “In Support of Capital Punishment” (1868), he contends that capital punishment is actually a better way to treat individuals rather than being confined to prison for a life sentence (Van Camp, 2014). It is viewed that Mill’s does successfully present this argument by suggesting that execution is essentially a quick end to suffering as opposed to suffering for the remainder of one’s life. One who is sentenced to a life in prison is subjected to an environment that will only offer cruel mental and physical punishment and unhappiness ultimately leading to death (McBrien, 2010). Although

Bright, Stephen B.: "The death penalty as the answer to crime: costly, counterproductive and corrupting"; 35 Santa Clara Law Review 1211 (1995)

Premise three, might be obvious to some but there are still people that deny the “greater brutality and violence of the death penalty when compared to” life imprisonment (Bedau, 5). In response to those in favor of the death penalty, Bedau, replies with reasons why lifetime imprisonment is less severe and invasive than execution:

In 1879, the United States Supreme Court ruled, by a vote of 9-0, that execution by firing squad was not cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. This began a long debate on whether or not a government reserves the right to punish those who have taken a life by taking their lives. There are many reasons as to why someone would be against capital punishment: it is not our right as humans to play God, it is against the constitution, the threat of capital punishment is not a valid deterrent, it is morally corrupt to take a life. All of these points are valid, and they represent the mindset of millions of Americans; however, capital punishment is a valuable asset to be reserved for only “the most heinous murders and the most brutal and conscienceless murderers” (Alice).