Imagine the following scene:
You have been convicted for supposedly taking part in a terrorist organization. Everybody around you- the media, the masses, are convinced of your guilt. But you, and only you know that you re innocent. You were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
All around you, there is outrage. Seething mobs are not content with life imprisonment- they demand something more. The morning on which the jailer comes to your cell is a cold, damp one. As the executioner kicks the stool away from your legs, it begins to pour.
It’s the end of a life that could have been so much more.
Out of the blue, three years later, new evidence is found. The outcome shocks the entire nation, and as they wait by their televisions watching with bated breath, a sinking feeling of shock and remorse dawns upon them. But it’s too late. You’re gone.
This is why I strongly believe that the death penalty should be abolished worldwide. Not only is it an inhumane, degrading and cruel form of punishment, it is a platform on which horrible, irreversible mistakes can happen. All over the world, people with disabilities, or those who belong to a racial minority, are being sent to the gallows. Others who are just as guilty, walk away free. The death penalty is in no way just. It is a biased, corrupt system that has to come to an end.
The first reason why I believe the death penalty is not a fit form of punishment is because it is against fundamental human rights. No matter what kind of terrible, brutal crime a person has committed you are no better if you treat then inhumanely, like an object to be toyed with and discarded. This is exactly what the death penalty does to people.
While some people say that killing is the best form of punishment for a hardened criminal- I believe it isn’t as it gives the person no time to think about their actions or feel any remorse. Murdering a murderer is taking an eye for an eye- it satisfies your thirst for revenge but doesn’t do anything in the long run.
The eight and fourteenth amendments of the United States are violated every time someone is sentenced to death, not to mention countless other human rights laws and policies. We are supposedly modern people living in an evolved society- such acts should be considered beneath us, and yet they are not.
Another reason why I believe the death penalty should be abolished is because it is in no way fair. If you ae African American, Hispanic, poor or disabled, you will have a lesser chance of being let off than if you are none of these things.
Statistics show that although only 13% of the US’s population is African American, over 50% of those on federal death row are of colour. In the last 15 years, two out of 3 people executed have been from racial minorities, and so are the next six executions scheduled to happen.
This is one of the biggest flaws in the death penalty system- that punishments are handed out in a way that favours the rich and racial minorities. The more money you have, the better defense you can get, and a better defence means you have less chance of being sentenced. This is why the death penalty isn’t and will never be a level playing field for everybody.
The final reason why I believe the death penalty should be considered a closed chapter is this - it is a human tendency to make mistakes. Yes, even with the most skilled of juries, irrevocable mistakes could happen. Innocent people could be sentenced for crimes they did not commit.
Since the reinstatement of the modern death penalty, 87 people that have been sentenced were later freed as they were found to be innocent. This brings the error rate to 1 innocent person killed for every 7 correctly accused.
In a civilized society like ours, is it too much to ask for that no innocents should be killed? While prison sentences can be reversed, executions cannot. Once you are dead, no power in the world can bring you back.
“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”
This statement, made by the father of our country, Mahatma Gandhi, is one that sums up the entire opposition of the death penalty. Imagine you are the mother of a murder victim. Having your child’s killer hanged to death may feel satisfying, even comforting to you. However, it does not bring a sense of closure, nor does it help the other parents worldwide who are going through the same thing you are. Some may say that killing is a way to prevent future crimes from taking place, but the truth is: there is no correlation between the crime and the capital punishment rates. Whatever it may be, the death penalty is no deterrent.
This, along with how biased and unjust the entire system is, are the main reasons why the death penalty should be put away for once and for all. We are responsible citizens of the 21st century. No matter what our problems are, we cannot let death become a solution.
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