Capital Punishment (Death Penalty) Must be Abolished

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Capital punishment (death penalty) must be abolished
Capital punishment is associated with death penalty sentences, and while some states have abolished capital punishment for some violent crimes, other states still uphold the sentences. Even though, capital punishment has been present since the ancient times, there are concerns that it is unjust. In any case, capital punishment merely fulfills the emotions of victim families, but this does not necessarily make it right. Despite proponents of capital punishment arguing that it deters crime, there is no conclusive link between capital punishment and reducing murder rate. Even as capital punishment is meant to be severe, it is meant to show those who have been wronged that justice has been served, even when the state uses counter. This paper supports the abolition of capital punishment.
States support capital punishment for the murders/ violent crimes committed, but inflicting pain and suffering on the murderers forces the victim family to go through the pain again as they have to relieve the reason for capital punishment. Equally, it is not logical to make the murderers suffer disproportionately, given that the state is then forced to kill to prove that the murder’s killing was wrong. There have been cases of botched lethal injections, which have failed to achieve the intended purpose with the death row convicts writhing in so much pain, getting unconscious and expressing agonizing deaths. Such was the case of Clayton Lockett whose botched capital punishment in Oklahoma aroused troubling questions about the effectiveness of the lethal injection procedures (Opposing Viewpoints 1).
There are also growing concerns that the costs associated with capital punishment may outweigh the benefits (Hyden 2). Analysis of the cost implications of the capital punishment compared to life without parole, show that the figures could be higher than previously thought. In California, death row inmates require high security, and in the case of appeals, it is the state that has to set aside resources for the state- appointed legal defense who represent the death row convicts (Opposing Viewpoints 1-2). Hence, the basis of cost benefits analysis it would be better to choose life without history rather the death penalty trials that may drag on for years.
Capital punishment is not only time consuming, but also expensive compared to the typical criminal case (Dieter 3). When the defendants are found guilty, new witness are brought and there is a separate trial to determine whether there is life imprisonment without parole or a death sentence (Dieter 4). The separate trial hearings then require two attorneys for the defense team, while the prosecution also has to use more resources to prove the case. As such, the process is lengthy while it is difficult to contain costs. This is further complicated when the jury selection takes time, while the jurors may hold confirmation bias on death séances meaning that there could be subjectivity in the final judgment (Dieter 3-4).
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