The Death Penalty is NOT Effective

The quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body is called life. We as people are entitled to life here on earth. No human being should take the life of another human being. Whether it is by law or done by a heinous crime, killing is still immoral. Some countries have legalized the death penalty as punishment for crimes committed, but how can it be effective? Killing is not justice! The justice system may call it capital punishment but how can one be punished if they are dead? Having the death penalty will not make the crime rates decrease. America as well as every other country will still experience murders, rape, robbery, kidnapping, etc. No country is free from crime therefore having the death penalty is not effective.

Capital punishment also known as the death penalty is a premeditated murder made by government. “Capital punishment was widely applied in ancient times throughout the world” (Death Penalty, 2009, para.2). “The U.S. Supreme Court in 1972 struck down state death penalty laws, a ruling that also brought federal executions to a halt. In 1976, the court reinstated the death penalty after the adoption of new procedures” (Death Penalty, 2009, para.3). Capital punishment has been one of the most debatable topics in the United States over the years. Some individuals consider it as cruel and unusual punishment, while others sees it as justice.

The methods used to execute death row inmates have changed over time. The states used methods such as hanging, firing squads, gas chambers, electrocution, and lethal injection. People are being killed in front of public viewers and family of the victim, and nevertheless the family of the defendant. Most the methods listed above no long...

... middle of paper ...

...ties Union (ACLU). Retrieved February 21, 2012, from http://www.aclu.org/capital-punishment/mental-illness-and-death-penalty-0

Menzie, N. (n.d.). Troy Davis story: Death row inmate issues statement hours before death. N.America. Retrieved February 21, 2012, from http://www.christianpost.com/news/troy-davis-story-death-row-inmate-issues-statement-hours-before-death-56138/

Ornellas, L. (n.d.). Death penalty arguments. Pro-death Penalty.com. Retrieved February 11, 2012, from http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/ornellaspaper.htm

Race and the death penalty. (2011, February 14). Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/race-and-death-penalty

Should the death penalty be banned as a form of punishment? (n.d.). BalancedPolitics.org. Retrieved February 21, 2012, from http://www.balancedpolitics.org/death_penalty.htm