The death penalty in the United States has long been a controversial issue – the idea of putting someone to death for their crimes is thought, by some, to be an antiquated idea that went out with the stocks. However, there is still significant public support for the measure as a deterrent. When considering the prison costs and the flaws inherent in the justice system, it becomes somewhat clearer that the death penalty is not a cost-effective or ethical measure. Given the shaky level of support for the death penalty, as well as the possibility of executing innocent citizens who have been wrongfully convicted, the death penalty should be abolished in the American justice system, replacing these sentences with sentences of life without parole.
Death row inmates since 1973 have been released on a regular basis on account of wrongful convictions that were determined after the fact. Over 130 people have experienced release from death row because of new evidence proving their innocence; significant examples include Ray Krone in 2002, who was released after a decade of imprisonment because of new DNA evidence that proved his innocence (AmnestyUSA, 2011).
There are a substantial number of states that have no death penalty statutes, and even fewer of them actually use these statues; the vast majority of states in America have not performed executions since 1976, the year when the death penalty was reinstated as law. In recent years, the public support for the death penalty has remained fairly consistent, but there is sufficient uncertainty about its application to the level where it is not feasible to continue it as a program. As it stands today, 64% of people will support the death penalty as a form of punishment if the person has been convicted of a murder; this still leaves 36% of the population who are opposed to capital punishment in any form (Newport, 2010). This lowering of public approval is reflected in actual sentences, since 2000, there has been a significant dropoff in the number of death sentences that are meted out each year; the number of actual executions is smaller as well, dropping to nearly 50 convicts killed each year (AmnestyUSA, 2011). Given the diminished capacity and usage of the death penalty, there is even more reason to abolish it, since it is not used often enough to be feasible as a practice.
In conclusion, there are a number of reasons why the death penalty is an ineffective and outdated means of punishment. It has been shown that the justice system is ineffective at catching and convicting guilty parties to a crime, to the degree where there is too much risk of convicting innocent men to make capital punishment an option. Public opinion and international law are at the level where capital punishment could be abolished at the federal level without a significant level of backlash. With these things in mind, it is a sensible move to abolish the death penalty, saving both money and lives in the long run.
Works Cited
Amnesty International. "U.S. Death Penalty Facts" Amnesty International USA. Web. August 10 2011. <http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/death-penalty/us-death-penalty- facts>.
Garland, D., Meranze, M., & McGowen, R. America's death penalty: between past and present. New York: New York University Press, 2010. Print
Newport, F. "In U.S., 64% Support Death Penalty in Cases of Murder." Gallup. Web. Nov. 8, 2010. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/144284/Support-Death-Penalty-Cases- Murder.aspx>.
