There are many reasons for capital punishment to be abolished. For instance, the wrongful execution of an innocent is a barbarity that can never be corrected. On the other hand, there is no evidence that the fear of the death penalty stops or even discourages crime. Also, all the money spent on capital punishment could be better used towards the families of murdered victims.
The most common causes of wrongful execution are eyewitnesses’ errors, false confessions or fabricated stories told by fellow prisoners who want to lessen their own penalties. All these examples can be called “human mistakes”. Society can’t afford this type of mistakes when lives are being considered.
Murders are still being committed; therefore capital punishment doesn’t seem to be a fear not to commit those crimes. I don’t believe people who will commit a murder, or when committing one, stop to consider the death penalty as a consequence of their actions. The homicide rate in the United States is five times bigger than in any Western European country, where there is no death penalty, for example.
Instead of spending money to punish murders with capital punishment, it would be more efficient to use these resources towards the victims’ families. To explain, money could be used towards therapy for the family members, tuition for the victims’ children and other things to help people put their lives back on track. In addition, money used in death penalties could be used for unsolved crimes and education programs about non-violence, for example.
In conclusion, capital punishment is not a real solution. It doesn’t heal the victims’ families, doesn’t prevent crime, and it absolutely doesn’t deter the criminal.
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