Death_Pen

Capital Punishment   Capital punishment or more commonly known as the Death penalty is defined in Webster’s dictionary as “putting a condemned person to death and executing them by judicial process”. Capital Punishment is an out dated and impractical solution to the problem of Crime in our World. The baric nature of this practice is frowned upon by most of the developed world and makes government seem undeveloped. The United States government needs to do away with this barbaric practice of Condemning Prisoners to death. The Death penalty has been a part of this nation’s history since it was founded. Great Britain brought their laws and standard of punishment across the ocean to the new colonies (Bedau). With this came Capital Punishment and it was in effect in all of the colonies. At the time it was necessary for the early colonies and states to execute dangerous criminals (Bedau). This was because states lacked the proper facilities to keep the public safe from such criminals (Bedau). Currently there are 35 states that still have capital punishment as an option for punishment (Info Center). Of these 35 states that have the death penalty as an option for punishment of violent crimes. And only a handful of states such as Florida Texas and California will use capital punishment for cases that do not involve murder. Also the U.S. Government and military reserve the right to execute people convicted of crimes against the country such as acts of terrorism against the United States (Bedau). In every state that has the death penalty each execution must be approved by the governor of that state but the military and government executions must be personally approved by the President (Info Center). There has only been handful of states to abolish the death penalty. Starting in 1846 Michigan was the first state to find that capital punishment is unconstitutional and it was abolished followed shortly by Wisconsin in 1853(Bedau). Most recently was New Mexico in 2009 but this was not retroactive with means that anyone who was already on New Mexico’s death row will still be executed(Info Center). As more states decide to repeal the death penalty the number to executions preformed is steadily declining (Darrow). Do to pressure from the growing number of people opposed to the death penalty states are slowly changing sentences of inmates on death row from execution to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole(Info Center). Although in the past carrying out executions where both cheap and quick today’s costs which is almost entirely paid by United States taxpayers has skyrocketed (Bedau). The in 1700’s hangings and other forms of execution where cheap and there was little time between Trial and the execution. Today the process has become a very costly and drawn out process (Bedau) (Info Center). Murder trials are long and trials to begin with but when the death penalty is involved this processes become even longer. This is because there are many more hoops to jump through during the decision on whether to give a sentence of life imprisonment or execution (Info Center). This increases the costs including the amount we as tax payers must pay Judges, Prosecutors and public defenders (Fisanick). Studies in New York have shown that a trial involving capital punishment alone is more than double the cost of life imprisonment (Info Center). In Maryland studies had shown that the cost of cases involving the death penalty cost 42 percent more than non death sentences (Info Center). States have recently begun to consider reinstating the death penalty but are finding that the costs far out way the benefits (Info Center). Kansas recently voted against an attempt to reinstate capital punishment when studies showed that the cost was 11 million for the first year alone (Info Center). Florida has one a death row which is one of the largest in the country, has estimated that the true cost each individual execution was $3.2 million which are six times the cost of the current life sentence (Fisanick). It will be almost impossible to make capital punishment a more cost effective. To reduce the cost of capital punishment we would need to weaken the process by which we insure a defendant is guilty (McCuen). Saving money in this department would potentially cost lives of innocent men and women who could be executed. So we cut the cost of execution and increase the risk of taking and innocent life and letting real criminals go free. Unlike all other forms of punishment the United States uses Capital Punishment is the only one that is irreversible. Marquis de Lafayette said, "I shall ask for the abolition of the punishment of death until I have the infallibility of human judgment demonstrated to me."(McCuen). Government can never truly be sure that they are not executing an entirely innocent man. Though out the history of punishment you hear of the innocent being released and many who have been falsely excused set free. But in the history of the United States no state or federal government has admitted to executing a totally innocent person (McCuen). On average there are at least 4 cases a year where a verdict is overturned because of new testimony and evidence (McCuen). But with the death penalty some pensioners never get the benefit of new evidence to prove their innocence. Even when new evidence is presented sometime it arrives hours and sometimes minutes before the scheduled execution (McCuen). Many people each year are falsely accused and sometimes convicted do to Mistaken or perjured testimony poor police work even pressure from the community to convict (Info Center). These factors help explain why our judicial system is not at all from wrongfully convicting a person. Although many Americans don’t realize it America is one of last strong holds of the death penalty in a developed county (Info Center). In all of the counties in North America except the United States and Panama still retain the death penalty and use it. 91 counties including almost all of Europe and most parts of South America have completely done away with the death penalty (Info Center). 33 counties have abolished the practice of capital punishment (Info Center). This means that the death penalty can still be given as a sentence but almost all sentencing is carried out through life imprisonment (Darrow). The other counties that still retain the death penalty are in 3rd world countries in parts of Africa the middle east and Asia (Info Center). The modern world views the death penalty as a 3rd world practice and view the Governments that use this as “underdeveloped and primitive” governments (Fisanick). The practice of capital punishment is a major concern to the governments around the world. America considers its self as one of the world’s leading superpower but has retained ideas that are rooted in ignorance. Because of the overwhelming economical and social cost we must abolish this practice. If America wants to remain a world leading superpower we must shed our old ideas and our barbaric practices in much the same we have abolished slavery. Works Cited Bedau, Hugo A., ed. Death penalty in America current controversies. New York: Oxford UP, 1997. Print. Death Penalty Information Center. Web. 04 Oct. 2009. . Fisanick, Nick, ed. Ethics of capital punishment. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2005. Print. Laurence, John, and Clarence Darrow. A History Of Capital Punishment. New York: The Citadel, 1960. Print.