Capital Punishment Should Be Abolished

1171 Words3 Pages

More than 18,000 Americans have been executed since the creation of the death penalty in colonial times (University of Alabama). The sentence of death for the punishment of a murder in the United States has declined in recent years. In 2014, the number of new death sentences was 72, the lowest level in many decades. Unfortunately, the U.S. fails to recognize capital punishment as a profound human rights violation and as a frightening abuse of government power. There are both pros and cons to capital punishment, but many people are against it. The innocent people put on death row, the cost, the lack of proven deterrence and discrimination within the system are all reasons capital punishment should be abolished.

The death penalty can be and has been inflicted upon innocent people. Since 1973, over 130 people have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence(DPIC). If 130 people have been proven innocent, there are bound to be more people falsely convicted. In Florida, James Bain spent 35 years behind bars before he was finally freed for a crime he did not commit. How was he freed? He was freed through the help of DNA evidence that was unavailable in 1974 when he was convicted of the crime. Now, Bain is entitled to 1.75 million dollars because Florida has a law that automatically grants former inmates found innocent $50,000 for each year they spent in prison with no legislative approval needed. Next to the possible execution of innocent people, the cost of an execution is extremely high. It costs far more to execute a person than to keep him or her in prison for life. A New Jersey Policy Perspectives report concluded The Department of Corrections estimated that eliminating the death penalty would save the Sta...

... middle of paper ...

...hment>.

DPIC, Death Penalty Information Center. DeathPenaltyInfo.Org. Web. .

NAACP. "NAACP Remains Steadfast in Ending Death Penalty & Fighting Injustice in America's Justice System." Naacp.org. 28 June 2007. Web. 3 Mar. 2012.

New Jersey Death Penalty Study Commission. New Jersey Death Penalty Study Commission Report. Rep. no. P.L. 2005. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. .

Reno, Janet. "Death Penalty ProCon.org." ProCon.org. ProCon.org. Web. 02 Apr. 2012. .

Stout, David. “Attorney General Says Reports Show No Racial Bias In Federal Death Sentences,” New York Times, June 7, 2001. .

University of Alabama Law School, Capital Punishment Research Project

USA Today, April 9,1989

Open Document