Against the Death Penalty

Capital Punishment most widely known as the death penalty, is a common subject of controversy in our society today. The death penalty was authorized on June 25, 1790 by the first congress in the United States. Since that time, there have been 343 federal executioins. There are many people all over the world that either oppose or approve of the death penalty. It is easy to say someone deserves to die if they commit a heinous crime. Many people believe there should be an “eye for an eye”. I do not believe this state of mind is humane or moral.

Every person deserves a fair trial regardless of the crime they committed. Most death row inmates cannot afford their own attorney therefore the court appoints one to them. To me, this is unfair and cruel. Inmates deserve an attorney who will represent their client to the fullest of their ability; not an attorney who wants to just get it over with.

Not only is poor representation a problem, but what happens if a person is sentenced to death only to find out later they were really innocent? Since 1973, over 130 people have been released from death row due to evidence of wrongful conviction. One example of a wrongful conviction is North Carolina resident, Jonathan Hoffman. Jonathan was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of a jewelry store owner. In 2007, Jonathan was exonerated. It was found that the state’s key witness made undisclosed deals with prosecutors for testing. The witness said he lied about his testimony to get back at Jonathan, his cousin, for stealing money from him. If Jonathan had been put to death, imagine the hurt and guilt the cousin would suffer. The victim’s family would have prolonged suffering knowing an innocent man was killed. This could happen in many cases. Life in prison would be a much more suitable and cheaper option.

Most people do not realize that the death penalty does cost more than incarceration. According to Amnesty USA, the greatest costs associated with the...