The Pros & Cons of the Death Penalty, Study notes of Statistics

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The Pros & Cons of the Death Penalty

BY B RIANNA CORONA

Background Information

The death penalty has been around since the

18th century and it is still actively used in some

parts of America. Many people feel very

different about this topic. Some people believe

that the death penalty provides justice and

others believe that is too harsh and inhumane.

This topic splits the U.S. nearly evenly with 27

states making the death penalty legal out of the

50 states. It is important to understand both

sides and hear both of the sides out.

Overcrowding

In many prisons, overcrowding is an issue.

This mean that prisons typically hold many

more inmates then they are intended to. So

what does this mean for the prisoners? It

means they cannot receive their basic needs.

In fact, according to "Penal Reform

International”, “Prisons in over 118 countries

exceeded their maximum occupancy rate,

with 11 national prison systems at more than

double their capacity”. The death penalty

lowers the population and helps ease the

environment of many prisons.

The Death Penalty Lowers Crime

The death penalty is the ultimate punishment in many

states. People like the death penalty because they feel

as though it "scares off" criminals from committing

serious crimes. “Common sense tells us that the most

frightening thing for a human being is to lose their

life; therefore, the death penalty is the best deterrent

when it comes to discouraging people from carrying

out the worst crimes” (Goodman,2021). The justice

system is structured as non-serious consequences,

serving time, and lastly the death penalty. The death

penalty is something that most criminals try to avoid

which is why people think it is effective.

The Death Penalty is not Fair

Everyone knows that the justice system can be unfair. There are constant wrongful convictions, too small punishments, too high punishments, and an unfair legal difference when it comes to lawyers and public defenders. It is not fair how the more poor people get public defenders that barely make any time for them and others can get lawyers that carefully study their case. In fact, statistics show “It affects the poorer segments of society and racial minorities disproportionately, in part because they cannot afford the cost of good legal support. In the USA, although only 13% of the population is African American, 50% of death row prisoners are African American” (Goodman, 2021). It is not fair that African Americans are more likely to be sentenced to death just because they may not be able to afford a good legal team.

Death Penalty = Revenge

Many people think that the death penalty is too revengeful. They feel as

though people like the death penalty because they get “revenge”, not

justice. Human rights activists argue that death penalty is a form of

revenge against offenders and revenge is not necessarily about social

justice” (“Is capital punishment a fair and appropriate measure for

atrocious crimes or should it be banned?”). People believe that the death

penalty encourages violence because two wrongs do not make a right.

Some people have trouble understanding the logic behind the death penalty

because they cannot understand how criminals are being killed for killing.

Revenge or violence is not the correct answer.

References

ACLU. (n.d.). The case against the death penalty. American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://www.aclu.org/other/case-against-death-penalty

Decroce, A. (2007, January 7). Pro and con: The death penalty; PRO. Record [Bergen County, NJ], O01. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A157043176/STND?u=mcc_smtn&sid=summon&xid=fd

Goodman, P. (2011, September 15). The Pros and cons of the death penalty. Soapboxie. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://soapboxie.com/government/Death-Penalty-Pros-and-Cons

Netivist. (n.d.). Death penalty pros and cons: Should it be abolished? netivist.org. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://netivist.org/debate/death-penalty-pros-and-cons

Prison overcrowding. Penal Reform International. (2021, May 20). Retrieved May 1, 2022, from

https://www.penalreform.org/issues/prison-conditions/key-facts/overcrowding/