My Thoughs on Capital Punishment (the Death Penalty)
I am ardently opposed to capital punishment for a variety of reasons, as discussed below:
1. It is morally wrong to kill a human, except in self defense
First and foremost, i believe it is wrong to kill a human except for in self defense. Given that belief, it seems to me that capital punishment is the pinnacle of wrongful killing, since it is by definition the killing of a person who is physically restrained and not an imminent threat to anyone, and already convicted and removed from society, therefore not a likely threat in the future. Making matters worse, the condemned is not being killed by a single, emotional human who “snapped,” but by the deliberate, cold, and calculating machinery of the State. That cold blooded killing on the part of the Governmental strikes me as particularly wrong, give the fact that our legal system sees murders committed in cold blood to be worse than murders committed in the “heat of passion.”
2. Capital punishment sets a bad example for all of society, including the children
It seems hypocritical for the State to prohibit its citizens from killing except in self defense, and then to simultaneously authorize the killing of people who pose no imminent threat, and who can be imprisoned for life to prevent any future threat. That sends a double message, that I believe can lead to violence on the parts of children and even adults. On the part of children, it may cause them to believe that physical violence is warranted in any situation other than self defense. On the part of adults, it may lead to that similar belief, or perhaps worse, a subconscious belief that violence is somehow morally right, given the fact that it is sanctioned by our Government.
3. Capital punishment is racist in its application
Study after study has shown that the death penalty is applied in a racist manner. Minorities are more likely to be sentenced to die than white people, even when the other factors are accounted for. Given this fact, and the limited to non-existent benefits of capital punishment, I don’t think that we as a society can justify continuing this racist practice.
4. Capital punishment can’t be justified the way other punishments can be justified
Other punishment, such as imprisonment, can generally be justified as a means to prevent future crimes. A criminal who is imprisoned is generally prevented from committing another crime during his incarceration. Capital punishment does not do a better job of either punishing a criminal, or of stopping them from committing a crime in the future. From the punishment perspective, a criminal who is dead can no longer be punished, and is not able to come to the conclusion that their crime was a wrong they should regret. A criminal who is held in a secure prison for life is stopped from committing crimes just as well as an executed criminal. The death penalty just doesn’t do a better job of either punishing or preventing crime, than could be accomplished with lifetime imprisonment.
5. Those later found to be innocent can’t be brought back to life
Perhaps most tragic are the cases of people proven to be innocent, after they have already been executed. For these innocent people and their families, there is no way of even beginning to make things right. At least an innocent person who was wrongfully jailed can be released, apologized to, compensated financially, and given a chance to try and resume their life. An executed person cannot, and their family is left with the realization that the state has killed a loved one, while the true criminal walks free. Even the prosecution witnesses may be emotionally scared for life, knowing that their testimony helped to kill an innocent person. Given this horrible outcome, I am again unable to find a justification for the capital punishment, given the limited if non-existent benefits to society of executing people.
Also, for those who think this is not a frequent event: Sadly, it is not that rare for the innocent to be convicted of horrendous murders, as one county in Texas has freed 26 death row inmates after they were exonerated. Even more horrific is the realization that many murders don’t have DNA evidence that could be tested to exonerate the condemned, or that this evidence has since been thrown away.
6. Capital punishment is too expensive
The fact is, the death penalty costs more than imprisoning a criminal for life. This is primarily due to the more rigorous appeals process. Given the limited to non-existent benefits of capital punishment, I don’t see how the death penalty can be justified from a financial standpoint.
7. Capital punishment doesn’t deter crime
Data indicates that capital punishment does not deter crime, and crime rates in the US are higher than most countries that have abolished the death penalty. Simply put, criminals commit crimes because they think they will get away with the crime. Worse yet are the criminals who are addicted to and using drugs, who are not in the state of mind that they are amenable to reason or concern over being caught. Then there are the criminals who simply don’t care if they are caught, often the ones who will commit murder and then suicide in a mass shooting.
November 12th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Hi there,
I just noticed this post of yours and thought it was interesting. (I am a fan of your learn about guns website and found my way here to this site which is a good one too.)
I have to say that I can not quite agree with you on this point, however. You certainly level some good criticisms against aspects of the death penalty in this country but I think your arguments miss the heart of the issue. The fact that minorities suffer this punishment to a proportionately greater degree is not a problem on its own. It is a problem if it is also true that minorities do not commit a proportionately greater degree of crimes punishable by execution. Yet, even if that is the case, this ought to make us want to reform the justice system but does not touch on the legitimacy of capital punishment.
The fact that putting someone to death costs more than putting them away for life is a similar sort of non-problem for capital punishment advocates. The increased cost shows that the judicial system requires greater limitations on the application of the death penalty therefore making it less and less likely that innocent people are convicted. If the application of capital punishment is used only in instances when the evidence is uncontrovertible and restrictions are placed on the appeal process, then costs ought to go down significantly. The problem here is not with the death penalty itself, but with the way capital punishment cases are handled in the judicial system.
I also take issue with your argument that capital punishment can not be justified. You seem to implicitly accept the premise that the justification for a punishment must be that it somehow prevents more crimes from being committed either by preventing the criminal being punished or by deterring other would be criminals. This is not the only way to justify punishment. A husband who catches his wife cheating on him, then kills his wife and her lover, and then regrets his actions and turns himself in still ought to go to jail. The reason he ought to is not because he is liable to commit another crime or because putting him away will deter others, but because he is being made to pay for the harms he inflicted. And this is the essence of punishment: paying for a wrong you have committed either with your property, your liberty, your life, or any combination. Punishment is not future oriented in that it is not meant to prevent crime in the future, but rather it is past oriented in that it is meant to in some sense right past wrongs.
It is certainly true that the points you have raised ought to be addressed in some manner. Innocents ought never to be put to death, minorities should not be punished disproportionately to the crimes they commit, costs are too high, and so on. Nonetheless, the death penalty is a fine way to punish the worst criminals as it certainly “makes them pay” for what they have done with their most valuable asset: their life.