Is the Death Penalty an Effective Crime, and Should it be Upheld?

Is the Death Penalty an Effective Crime, and Should it be Upheld?
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Is the Death Penalty an Effective Crime, and Should it be Upheld?
Most people hold the death penalty as justified, depending on the nature of the crime. A particular view is that whatever you do to another must be done unto you, equating capital punishment to fairness, and believed to be a form of retribution (Ichinose, 2017). This argument states that where a perpetrator has committed heinous crimes against an innocent individual and gets equal consequences; as a result, it brings satisfaction to the families of the victim and consoles them. However, morality is questioned when the behavior sought to be suppressed is legitimized. Significant contentions opposing the death penalty cite its inhumaneness, lack of the desired deterrent effect, and lack of moral order (Shirley & Gelman, 2014). In hindsight, capital punishment varies according to demographics, political ideologies, and the declaration of human rights. Since the death sentence does not serve as an effective deterrence against crime, it should be abolished.
Arguments Supporting the Thesis Statement
Everyone has the fundamental right to life. No one has the right to take the other's life, regardless of whatever crime the individual has committed. According to Steiker (2016), the death penalty abuses the right not to get a judgment, humiliating treatment, or jail sentence. Moreover, capital punishment undermines human decency, which is inborn in every person. The death penalty does not deter crime. Extensive studies find that capital punishment is not better than life in prison. Statistically, regions that have abolished the death penalty have recorded significantly lower murder rates and egregious crimes (Chan et al., 2017). It is essential to realize that the death penalty is an infringement of the Eighth Amendment, which safeguards criminals from the barbaric act of capital punishment. With extensive research, there is no convincing proof that the death penalty is a crime deterrent.
The death penalty risks wrongful execution of the innocent. The death penalty gives the authorities leeway to subject individuals to it even without sufficient proof of wrongdoing. An innocent person subjected to this treatment will be in mental anguish, and once the individual is executed, it is irreversible (Azamjonovich, 2021). The authorities have failed in conducting proper investigations, thus having the innocent suffer for their mistakes. This lack of work ethic is unacceptable.
The death penalty primarily affects people from minority communities, mainly African Americans and Latinos, compared to Caucasians. This discrimination proves that the justice system is racially biased and is constantly profiling people considered minorities (Steiker & Steiker, 2016). This increasing racial bias makes the individuals affected by this situation more daring and bold. These individuals will not hold back in committing capital felonies because they know the kind of treatment that awaits them once in custody. Whether they are dangerous or not. In some nations, a death penalty is a power tool, not fairness. Various governments worldwide use capital punishment to threaten citizens and take life unlawfully. In Brazil, offenses like profanity, infidelity, robbery, and drug dealing have been subject to capital punishment (Xiong et al., 2017). These governments want to be in control. By utilizing capital punishment for subjective reasons, authorities determine what is unacceptable in society and the appropriate punishment. It makes residents unfortunate and disregards their fundamental liberties. Citizens have been subjected to living in fear because they dread that government could violate their human rights.
The dependence on execution drugs is costly for the state. Because the death penalty has received a high rejection from the public, manufacturers refuse to sell them. In effect, it is expensive to acquire these drugs, making it difficult for the states to use the accepted and approved capital punishment drugs. Due to the scarcity, these states are facing increased series of failed executions making citizens pay more for those on death row to be executed less brutally. In addition to this, the victims of these failed executions are subjected to extreme agony, distress, and unfathomable trauma.
Arguments against the Thesis Statement
The death penalty acts as a deterrence against crime. Proof shows that capital punishment prevents egregious crimes like murder. States that do not have capital punishment implemented; experience lower murder and other crime rates compared to states with the death penalty in effect. A petty offender is imprisoned to avoid and reduce their crime spree, and in the same fashion, murderers need to be executed to keep them from committing these heinous crimes (Boateng & Dzordzormenyoh, 2021). It offers a permanent solution and helps prevent the possibility of similar crimes in the future.
The death penalty brings peace and satisfaction to the victims of a crime or their families. Although these victims and families may never be the same again, capital punishment effected upon the offender may give them some. In turn, these families can cope with their grief. In this case, violence as a means of justice is acceptable to and by society. Ichinose (2017) argues that retention of the death penalty supports that retribution or revenge restores a balance to society. Society demands justice for all atrocities. When an offender commits murder, the balance of the order is distorted. Consequently, justice is sought to restore said balance. Brutality is the only solution acceptable to society. The perpetrator deserves an equal or maybe worse punishment for all heinous acts of crime. Insufficient punishment would weaken the values held dear by society. Society believes in an eye for an eye.
Conclusion
Abolishing the death penalty should be upheld because it deprives an individual of their fundamental right to life. As a society, we should value human life and realize the darkness and pain associated with death. Society's mandate is to accept the death penalty as immoral, inhumane, and less effective in counteracting crime. Reducing the number of criminals on death row can be achieved, but the authorities should try different approaches to get justice for crimes committed. The government should start by abolishing the death penalty as a mode of punishment because, as evidence dictates, it is ineffective and an infringement of human dignity. Alternative modes of punishment should be devised, put in place, and implemented.
Recommendations
The imposition of the death penalty is a breach of human rights because it infringes on the right to life, which is the...