The Death Penalty

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“The death penalty takes a heavy toll on those directly involved in executions- prison wardens, chaplains, executioners, and corrections officers. Many of those involved in executions have reported suffering PTSD-like symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, and other forms of distress.”(“Mental effect”) Since the death penalty has the ability to have such a strong effect on a large amount of people, why is it so widely accepted? With a broken system, “flaws in America’s death penalty sentence have reached crisis proportions. Many fear that capital trials put people on death row who don’t belong there. Others say capital appeals take too long.”(“Broken system”) Capital punishment is seen to be a terrifying way of deciding the fate of a persons life. Since 1973, about 150 people have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence. This shows that the death penalty should not be an option of punishment for the defendant if they are going to be wrongly accused. Capital punishment has shown that executing people on death row has not lowered homicide rates. “A report by the National Research Council, titles Deterrence and the Death Penalty, stated that studies claiming that the death penalty has a deterrence effect on murder rates are “fundamentally flawed” and should not be used when making policy decisions.”(“Homicide”) The homicide rates are not decreasing because of capital punishment and it is not stopping anyone from committing any crimes. “The death penalty is said to serve two principal social purposes: retribution and deterrence of capital crimes by prospective offenders. Capital punishment is an expression of society’s moral outrage of particularly offensive conduct.”(Brenner 62)

“Death Penalty supporters contend that the way capital punishment is practiced in the United States sets it apart from other countries that use more brutal methods of execution.” (Friedman 88) All around the world, the death sentence has been a form of punishment for criminals at some point in time. The death penalty in Europe was one of the most dreaded but common form of punishment for the criminals. It began with hanging, but as time progressed the punishment was changed to burning at the stake. In England, the punishment could vary from hanging, burning, or quartering. Capital punishment has now changed drastically in England, as the last man hanged was in 1965 for the murder of a police officer. Since then, capital punishment has not been used in Britain. After capital punishment was abolished in Britain, the homicide rates decreased tremendously. This demonstrates how the U.S. clearly stands out from other countries since it still continues to use the death penalty as a form of punishment. When comparing the U.S. to a country like the UK that hasn’t executed someone in over 51 years, it should have a stronger affect on the U.S. and make the justice system realize how unsubstantial it is to our country to continue sentencing people to death.

The death penalty has more than just an affect on the defendant, but also the families and friends of the victims. In some cases, death can be considered a way out and a much better alternative to spending the rest of your life in prison. The victims families are left to grief with the murder of a loved one.