The Death Penalty in the USA

The Death Penalty in the USA

The death penalty is simply an execution of an individual as a result of committing a serious and specific crime that is against the laws of the land.   Many people in the USA tend to have different views on the issue of the death penalty on individuals who commit crimes. For instance, a majority of Americans support this act with arguments that for a society to be best served, and then it is important to get rid of such kind of people from the world. Consequently, some death advocates argue that death penalty should be continued since it prevents people from committing similar crimes in the near future.

Studies conducted recently in the United States Shows that about 61% of the citizens are in favor of this penalty while 39% are against. Convicting individuals who have committed serious crimes such as murder is expensive as perceived by many people who tend to believe that their coins would largely be saved if these individuals are easily done away with. According to the study, those individuals who have also committed crimes such as rape should also be given the same treatment (Bohme and Robert, 73).  In addition to the Gallup report, Argument for and against the death penalty in the USA, 2017, many people support the death penalty. Consequently, several studies done by Jones and Jeffrey in different states,  in 2016 shows that more than 49% of the Population is for while 42% was against.

Many people believe that some crimes such as rape as mentioned above have no suitable punishment if not the death penalty. Also, capital punishment is the best because it removes such dangerous individuals from the society and leaves no culprits behind. When such individuals are kept in waiting in the cells, for instance, many people worry about their safety. Among these individuals, are the guards who keep watching the suspects to deter them from escaping. Therefore, to avoid creating more tension in people, the death penalty should be an immediate alternative.

Despite the arguments for the death penalty from people and different groups as discussed above, it should be understood that death penalty has its own limitation and side effects. For example, innocent people are likely to be executed in the process (Bohme and Robert, 73). This can be supported back by a case in Texas which witnessed the execution of innocent Todd Willingham, in 2004. It was not until his death penalty that it was discovered he was not responsible for the fire outbreak that killed his three daughters. According to Amnesty International, 2017, in the past 30 years, for instance, more than 130 innocent people who have been executed innocently have been reported. Also, in line with the American Human Rights Commission (AHRC), death execution is against human rights.

According to American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the law enforcement agencies agreed that death penalty has achieved so little in controlling violence in the United States. Moreover, they agreed that the only option to deter crimes is to increase the number of police officers on patrol as well as provide a favorable economy that promotes survival of all citizens.

Finally, based on the facts given above and specifically in reference to Willingham, I strongly condemn the continuous existence of the death penalty in the USA. The main reason behind the argument is that among various cases of people being sentenced to the death penalty, innocent souls are also lost in the process. Consequently, the arguments of people in support of the execution are null and baseless because death penalty cannot be used to deter one from committing a crime. Since the USA is a nation, built on a Christian foundation, killing of an individual due to a given crime is against the biblical teachings on the conservation of life.

In Michael Conklin’s book, Death Penalty Debate: Confronting abolitionists claims, he vividly brings out arguments which dispute the death penalty. He argues for the abolitionists’ views and confronts the law for innocently executing people without providing adequate information on the nature and type of offense such individuals have committed. Also, in the use of statistics, he narrates that a disproportionate number of African Americans are convicted when compared to the natives. He continues to argue that the statistic source is an illegal system that is based on racism. For example, out of the 49% of the total population in the USA are males, despite, about 99% of those convicted are usually males. On the other hand, African Americans make up to 48% of those who are charged with homicide, but only 41% are sentenced to death. Through his argument in the book, Michael continues to point out on how the American illegal system is built on a racist background on matters concerning the death penalty. For example, a white American with death penalty can easily be convicted than an American of the African origin. Therefore, according to the Abolitionist’s logic, a legal system which bases its punishments on racial differences should be abolished immediately. Many valid reasons have been discussed in the abolishment of the system as well as the death penalty simply because it is not served to all people in equal measures despite their racial background. The finality of the death sentence is irreversible especially when served to innocent people, unlike the case of life imprisonment. If someone is wrongly convicted and then after sometime his innocence proved, nothing can be done in return to bring back the diseased to life. Therefore, based on the issues discussed, I strongly stand in support of the Abolitionist’s views on the death penalty. The death penalty is an irreversible action and therefore, it should not be practiced in the United States of America since it has the headquarters for Human Rights Commission.