Capital Punishment Essay

Capital Punishment is the legally authorized killing of someone as a punishment for a crime. In the United States, the death penalty is the highest form of punishment we have. Throughout the history of the United States millions of people have died by death row. In 1976, The United States had passed a law legalizing the Death Penalty. Many people believe that the death penalty is a successful process that is serving a purpose, while on the other hand many people would argue the death penalty is a punishment that should be abolished from the states. For the worst crimes committed, giving the criminal life without parole is better for many reasons. I'm against the death penalty, not because of sympathy for the criminal, simply because capital punishment does not reduce crime, prolongs the anguish of the murder victims families, the cost of the death penalty is more than life in prison, and worst, running the risk of killing innocent people. Over the years there has been a drop in the use of the death penalty in the United States. In North Carolina, there has not been an execution since 2006. Death sentences that were given by the jury were being declined. In 2012, for the first time , no one in North Carolina even received the death penalty. The North Carolina Department of Justice states, "The state murder rate has declined since executions stopped." There is no credible evidence proving the death penalty deters crime. If crimes rates are dropping after the death penalty stopped how can they say they death penalty is bring crime down? Criminologists have taken a survey on question to see how many believe that the death penalty deters crime. A recent survey taken by the most leading criminologist in the country found that majority of them do not believe the death penalty is a proven deterrent to homicide. Eighty-eight percent of the criminologist do not believe the death penalty acts as a deterrent to homicide. They believe that even banning the death penalty would not have an effect on the murder rates. Therefore the purpose of the death penalty is useless, why do we need to keep it around if it's serving no purpose other than killing people. On May 4, 1983 John Louis Evan was executed for the killing of a Mobile, Al pawnbroker. An eyewitness who attended the execution describes the experience as horrible. Mark D. Harris of United Press International states, "They pulled a switch sending 1,900 volts burning into Evans, who clenched his fists and arched his body rigidly into the restraining straps. A moment later, as spark and flame crackled around Evans’ head and left leg, white smoke seeped from beneath the veil and curled from his head and leg. His body quivered and then fell back into the chair as the current ended." This procedure happened three times before Evans was pronounced dead. Throughout history, multiple executions such as this have been taken place for crimes. How can we say that an act such as killing a person for their wrong doing is morally justifiable? Killing someone for the life of another does not solve the problem, it just makes us as wrong as they were. Imagine being an inmate, locked in a tiny cell twenty-three hours of twenty-four in a day. You are held in this for the rest of your living days. Contact with other inmates is rare, so that just leaves you and the four walls. Rarely will you see day so you never know what time of day it is. Now combine that with the fact that you are aware of the date and time of your death. Most of the time the criminals would of crazy just being locked away in such a manor they can't stand the constant wait. The anguish is not just on the inmate, but the families of the murder victim. People assume that families of murder victims approve of the death penalty, but majority of them don't. Families have been brought anguish and pain during the process of Capital Punishment. Some would say "the death penalty brings closure to the families," there is no

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