Argument Against Capital Punishment
Team AAMMM
Introduction
Arguments about capital punishment can usually be categorized into two groups: moral and practical. Proponents argue that execution is morally required for justice to be served and is more practical than incarceration. However, we assert below that execution is inherently immoral and hypocritical and offers no practical social benefits.
Execution is Immoral
While its tempting to say that justice is served when the punishment fits the crime, one must remember that no justice system is infallible. Numerous convictions for murder, rape, and other violent crimes in the United States have been overturned due to subsequent introduction of DNA evidence into old cases[1]. Some innocent individuals have been incarcerated up to 24 years[2]. A handful of innocents have even been found on death row
within days of execution[3]. These occurrences leave no question that innocent lives will be lost to executions. That the system would be guilty of the exact crime it attempts to punish is inherently hypocritical and immoral (see Cicero[4]). However, if inmates are incarcerated instead of executed, new evidence can be and
has been used years later to exonerate wrongly-convicted individuals. The following list contains additional moral difficulties with capital punishment:
- Makes anti-execution jurors less likely to convict, thereby eroding the judicial system.
- Unnecessarily punishes innocent family members
- Does nothing to rectify the wrongs committed
- Raises concerns with the mentally ill (see Charles Singleton[5])
Execution is Impractical
A New York Times survey verifies a government study showing that US states without capital punishment have lower murder rates than those with indicating that capital punishment is not a deterrent[6,7]. This may be because criminals often act irrationally and ignore potential consequences[8]. The following are additional practical problems with execution:
- The average cost per inmate in the US is about $22,650 (USD)/year[9]. The US executed 60 inmates in 2005[10]. A similar execution rate in England would provide miniscule savings, even assuming no additional legal, incarceration, or execution costs. These savings pale in comparison to the $20 billion (USD)/year UK criminal justice system budget[11].
- Damages paid to wrongly-executed individuals families could be astronomical.
- Extensive legal battles or automatic appeals can substantially increase state costs.
- Protests often cost government time and money while reprieve is considered[12]
Conclusion
Execution is morally reprehensible, hypocritical, and practically unsound.
Word Count: 378
References
[1] Innocence Project (2006).
Press Room. Retrieved October 17, 2006, from innocenceproject.org. Web site:
http://www.innocenceproject.org/press/
[2] Associated Press (2005).
DNA Evidence Clears Georgia Inmate of Rape Retrieved October 17, 2006 from FoxNews.com. Web site:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,178138,00.html
[3] Associated Press (2002).
For 110 Inmates Freed by DNA Tests, True Freedom Remains Elusive Retrieved October 17, 2006 from deathpenaltyinfo.org. Web site:
http://deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=17&did=293
[4]
On the Good Life, Cicero. Translation by Michael Grant. 1971. Penguin Books: London. p. 147.
[5] United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (2002).
Charles Laverne Singleton, Appellant, v. Larry Norris, Director, Arkansas Department of Correction, Appellee. Retrieved October 18, 2006 from cognitiveliberty.org Web Site:
http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/dll/singleton_8circ2.htm
[6] Ford Fessenden (2000).
Deadly Statistics: A Survey Of Crime and Punishment . Retrieved October 17, 2006 from nytimes.com. Web site:
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstr...ference/Times Topics/People/F/Fessenden, Ford
[7] Raymond Bonner and Ford Fessenden (2000).
States With No Death Penalty Share Lower Homicide Rates. Retrieved October 17, 2006 from janda.org. Web Site:
http://janda.org/c10/statisticsnews/NoDeathPenalty.htm
[8] TruthTree (2002).
Penalty of Death . Retrieved October 18, 2006 from truthtree.com. Web site:
http://www.truthtree.com/death.shtml
[9] U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics (2004)
State Prison Expenditures, 2001. Retrieved October 17, 2006 from US Department of Justice. Web site:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/ascii/spe01.txt
[10] U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics (2005).
Key Facts at a Glance Executions. Retrived October 17, 2006 from US Department of Justice. Web site:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/tables/exetab.htm
[11] Her Majestys Treasury (2006).
2002 Spending Review. Retrieved October 17, 2006 from HM Treasury. Web Site:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/Spending_Review/spend_sr02/report/spend_sr02_repchap10.cfm
[12] Catherine Komp (2005).
Virginia Death Row Prisoner Granted Clemency. Retrieved October 17, 2006 from The New Standard. Web Site:
http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/2635