The Argument Against The Death Penalty

The death penalty is the punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. This seems to be a big argument across the country. About sixty-two percent of Americans are for the death penalty, and there are many other people who completely disagree with this form of punishment. Those who agree with the death penalty might argue that it will deter future crimes, or even give closure to those who are grieving. On the other side, some may feel that this punishment is inhumane.

Both sides make many valid points, I however, disagree with the death penalty. On the side of being against this, it seems like there could be different and more humane punishments. One option being a life sentence in prison. With the argument that life imprisonment with no parole is more expensive,

It honestly seems like it would be. Surprisingly, the death penalty doesn’t seem to lower crime rate too much at all. “A study states that eighty-eight percent of criminologist do not believe the death penalty is an effective deterrent.” (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org). Many countries have abolished the death penalty, and only fifty-eight countries retain it, the US being one of them. “According to the N.C. Department of Justice, the death penalty actually does not influence murderers to think twice before killing, in fact it does the opposite.”(Death Penalty Does Not Deter Crimes, 2015). “A report by the National Research Council, titled Deterrence and the Death Penalty, stated that studies claiming that the death penalty has a deterrent effect on murder rates are “fundamentally flawed” and should not be used when making policy decisions.” (2012). “Consistent with previous years, the 2014 FBI Uniform Crime Report showed that the South had the highest murder rate. The South accounts for over 80% of executions. The Northeast, which has less than 1% of all executions, had lowest murder