When used cautiously and rarely, the death penaly is a just penalty

here has been plenty of controversy in the news lately about a botched execution in Oklahoma. This situation has been used by most of the media to argue that is time for the U.S. to join the rest of the world in abolishing the death penalty. As if what the rest of the world is doing matters (spoiler alert: America is superior). This course of action would be a mistake. There needs to be a life ending punishment that can be used against heinous and awful crimes.

First of all, there are two points raised by proponents of abolishing the penalty that should be dealt with immediately. The first one being that one in 25 persons on death row is innocent. This is an estimate and not a good one either. With the introduction of DNA testing and an increase in technology, it has become extremely rare for somebody to be wrongly convicted of murder. As a principle, people should not be found guilty unless it has been proven without a reasonable doubt that they are in fact the people who committed the crime. The other main point raised by proponent of ending the death penalty, is that botched executions are common. This is untrue; Professor Michael L. Radelet of the University of Colorado lists 44 incidents since 1976, and many of these incidents were just delays of initiation meaning there was no pain inflicted. The people just had to wait a few minutes. We should also understand that the death penalty continues to be used less and less.

There is no doubt that botched executions are terrible, and we should work to find the most humane way possible to end someone’s life. However, the uproar of how terrible this was is a little ridiculous. Just try for a second to realize what these people do in order to be put on death row. Clayton D. Lockett, the inmate who recently received a botched execution, probably deserved a lot worse than what he experienced. It is almost offensive how people act like the man was a victim. For your sake, I will simply list the legal offenses that “victim” had committed and not go into the horrifying detail. An article from the August 30, 2000 issue of the Tulsa World stated that Lockett had committed “18 counts of kidnapping, rape, sodomy and robbery of three other victims, one an 18-year-old.”

It is perfectly understandable why someone would want to abolish the death penalty. I would even be open to this action if another sentence besides life in prison was used. Something that would make the inmate’s life not worth living. Unless that happens, the death penalty should be reserved and used cautiously for the most serious and horrendous offenses.

The death penalty’s time has come and gone

he United States is a leader and role model for the globe. Our actions are imitated by nations across the world. We have a duty morally, and politically, to act in the best possible ways to show the
world how moral, decent human beings should act. Then how come we share a practice with human rights abusers such as the Iranians, Chinese, Saudi Arabians and Sudanese? All of these nations, along with the US, continue to practice the death penalty. The time has come for the United States to end this horrendous practice. Every single other developed nation, with the exception of China, has abandoned the Death Penalty. Almost every nation has unilaterally abolished the death penalty. The International community abhors the practice; in 2007 the United Nations called for the abolishment of the death penalty. In fact, in some nations, executions are a violation of human rights. Do we really want to be in such a prestigious camp of nations that still has the death penalty, such as Iran, North Korea and China? The United States has a moral duty as a global superpower and in our position as the world’s policeman to end the death penalty.
Additionaly, every year, convicts in prison are exonerated. As anyone who has seen NCIS can tell you, DNA testing has revolutionized forensics. New police techniques, and the advancement of science has led to
the true culprits of crimes being arrested, and false prisoners being freed. Yet what of those who are executed? Since 1975, 144 inmates have been executed whom later investigation revealed to be innocent. Those people cannot come back just because they were truly innocent. Their families cannot be rebuilt, their sons cannot be returned to their fathers, their wives cannot be reunited with their husbands. Had they simply been rotting in jail, they could have returned to their lives. Yet the death penalty has taken these 144 men and women away permanently.
Even beyond this, the fact of the matter is, that the death penalty is exorbitantly expensive. The state of California spends more than $180,000,000 a year on death penalty cases. This is 20 times more expensive than when the state is seeking life without parole. Cases where the state is seeking the death penalty take significantly longer in court, and in reality, the prisoners end up staying on death row for years, and in some cases, dieing naturally, before being executed.

The crimes that the executed have commited are horrendous; no one doubts that. However, death for death is not right. Prison serves as a chance for rehabilitation for convicts. Obviously, the dead do not get a chance for rehabilitaion. Life without parole serves as a moral punishment for convicts, and gives them a chance for rehabilitaion