Should the Death Penalty Be Abolished?

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People make bad decisions that can lead to serious consequences daily, and how they are punished by the law changes for each crime. In an article posted by The Guardian in 2011, they report that after the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, “1,264 people have been executed in America” (Rogers). This number may be alarming to some that are against capital punishment, but anticipated by others who stand by this means of retribution. There are many arguments that have been made as to why the death penalty should continue to exist and why it should be suspended. A big argument has been made about the death of innocent people who after their deaths could have been found innocent due to new evidence that would exonerate them. Then there are other arguments about the people who escape the death penalty only to commit further heinous crimes that might have been prevented. Whether it is a case of morality on both sides of the argument, there is not a shortage of debates against the death penalty. What it all comes down to is, should the death penalty be abolished?
When deciding what kinds of crimes deserve the death penalty is there a correct answer? The innocent people that are put to death for a crime that they did not commit are unable to be released from a permanent sentence of death. Depending on the state that crime takes place in the death penalty could be considered for acts of treason, murder, rape, drug trafficking, and even perjury. Circumstances surrounding these and other crimes is what indicates the extent of the punishment being handed down. The problem is that while some cases are filled with undeniable evidence against the perpetrator, others are somewhat questionable. An article written by Ruth Evans (2001) provi...

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...g as it is not being abused by those in control. I do not think that people should stop trying to fight for those that they believe may be innocent, but I do think that after debating whether or not the death penalty should be abolished, that I disagree.

Works Cited

Evans, R. (2001, March). The death penalty in the USA and the question of innocence. The Month, 34(3), 6. doi:218874356
KOMO News Network. (2013, May 15). Monroe inmate sentenced to death for killing prison guard. Retrieved from http://www.komonews.com/news/local/scherf-207554211.html
Legal Information Institute. (n.d.). Death Penalty. Retrieved from http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/death_penalty
Rogers, S. (2011, September). Death penalty statistics from the US: which state executes the most people? Retrieved from http://www.the guardian.com/news/datablog/2011/sep/21/death-penalty-statistics-us

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