Death Penalty Should Not Exist in the United States

Death Penalty

Whether or not the death penalty should be utilized as a punishment for serious crimes is a contentious issue, one that is hotly debated throughout the world. In the past few decades the number of nations that sentence criminals to the death penalty has dramatically decreased, as more than two thirds of countries in the world have abolished the use of the death penalty in practice or law (Amnesty International, 2010). The increase in countries choosing to abolish the death penalty is for good reason, as the arguments against its use are numerous and are based in reliable research and logic. The following discussion will highlight three facets of the powerful argument against the use of the death penalty. These three key points include: the fact that the death penalty is ineffective in efforts of crime prevention; the death penalty is immoral; and the majority of Americans do not think the death penalty should be used, and feel instead that it should be abolished.

First of all, one of the key points in the argument against the use of the death penalty is that it is actually highly ineffective in preventing crime. Many studies conducted since the 1970s that claimed the death penalty results in a reduced number of murders were found to be invalid by a panel established by the National Academy of Sciences (Imanbekova, 2007). In fact, a non-profit organization that dispenses neutral information regarding the death penalty called the Death Penalty Information Center stated that a survey conducted in 2000 demonstrated that in the 20 years prior to the survey, murder rates in states that utilized the death penalty were shown to be 48 to 101% higher than states that did not use the death penalty (Imanbekova, 2007). These findings were mirrored by Amnesty International in a comparison of murder rates of Southern states with those of Northern rates. Southern states account for 80% of death penalty executions and showed the highest murder rates, while the Northeast states account for 1% of executions and displayed the lowest murder rates (Imanbekova, 2007). Based on these findings, it is undeniable that the death penalty is ineffective means of preventing crime.

The second key component in this argument against the death penalty is that it is an immoral form of punishment. Murder is obviously a very serious crime that should be punished to the fullest extent, but is using execution the most appropriate punishment? The argument of using murder to punish murder is faulty and not based in logic. The death penalty is an outright violation of the right to life as stated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as it is nothing more than cold-blooded and premeditated murder conducted by the state (Amnesty International, 2010). The American government is outspoken in its criticism of human rights violations committed by other nations of the world, especially China and those in the Middle East. However, of countries rated with the highest numbers of executions in 2009, the U.S.A. was ranked at number five, listed in the company of China, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, with the U.S.A. As the only "Western" nation listed in the top ten (Amnesty International, 2010). This seems counterintuitive for the U.S.A. To knowingly employ a barbaric form of punishment that classifies the country in the company of nations which it claims to be morally superior to.

The third and final key point to this argument against the death penalty lies in concerns that the American public has regarding using state executions as punishment for criminals. A recent poll conducted by the Death Penalty Information Center demonstrated a comprehensive glimpse into Americans' views of the death penalty (PR Newswire, 2010). This survey showed that a vast majority of respondents (61%) would not choose the death penalty for murder, and would instead employ an alternative punishment such as a life sentence. The survey indicated key concerns that Americans have regarding the death penalty. The financial aspects of this form of punishment were a definite concern, as 68% of respondents reported that cost was a viable argument against the use of the death penalty. Furthermore, a majority of a Americans polled in this survey (65%) stated they would rather have tax dollars allocated for the death penalty put towards the funding of programs for crime prevention. As far as moral concerns of American voters go, the strongest moral objections to the death penalty were demonstrated by Catholic and Latino voters, while Hispanic respondents were the group most willing to use alternative punishments due to reasoning based in faith and concerns over unfair treatment regarding race (PR Newswire, 2010). The results of this study provide a clear understanding of widespread objection among the American public to the death penalty. Since the beginning of 2009, several states, such as New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas have considered instating legislation against the death penalty, and it is expected that 2011 will see a continuation of this progressive trend (PR Newswire, 2010).