Eye For An Eye Or Turn The Other Cheek?

It is a time of mourning for the United States. They are now being compared with the countries they, themselves, condemn. The death penalty is cruel and unusual because it breaks sacred amendments and commandments. The death penalty should no longer be an option. According to many people, "we have progressed since the barbaric stone-age," (Alexander 1) yet our Judicial system does not seem to show it. Murdering someone is a barbaric act, whether it is by an individual, society, or our government. Everyone has heard the saying, "two wrongs don't make a right," what would one call the death penalty? The death penalty must be eliminated because it kills innocents and destroys our fundamental human rights: "the right to life" (Reddall 1), it is racially biased, it is based on revenge not as a deterrent and it does not deter crime, it is more expensive, and it goes directly against The Bible.

Whether someone wants to believe it or not, innocent people have been sent to death row. "From 1900 to 1985, 350 people imposed with the death penalty were innocent, and 23 of those people were actually put to death" (Cruel 2). Supporters of the death penalty seem to show no remorse for these deaths. One supporter said, "In the medical profession almost 100,000 people are wrongly killed every year by errors, and we fix them and move on" (McLaughlin 2). These barbaric acts should not come as a shock, though. "The United States is one of only five countries in the world that execute minors. The U.S. joins Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen" (Cruel 1). It seems ironic that all four other countries the U.S. condemns for human's rights violations. "Abma criticized the U.S. for using a 'double standard' in human rights cases. He said a large gap exists 'between what the U.S. is saying to others and what the U.S. is doing to its own citizens.' He cited cases of police brutality and poor prison conditions, aside the obvious death penalty, as examples" (Yashiro 1). “I have full sympathy for the families of murder and other crimes, but I refuse to accept that one death justifies another” (Reddall 1). Capitol punishment is an act from ages ago and should no longer be used. Although, the argument already seems logical there is still more that can be argued.

“Contrary to popular belief, capitol punishment is 4 to 6 times more expensive than life imprisonment” (McLaughlin 2).