Del Valle 1

Edel Del Valle

Professor Massey

ENC1101

12/10/17

Capital Punishment: A necessary evil.

The death sentence has always been a polemic topic, there are many sides and arguments

on why it should, or should not be allowed. When the public is asked if the death penalty should

still be a form of punishment, it is common, along with misinformation and social pressure that,

even if a criminal has committed a terrible crime deserving of death, they would not want the

death penalty to be served. Before jumping into conclusions, it is to be kept in mind that Capital

punishment is reserved for the most terrible and unspeakable crimes, for those criminals

unworthy of the luxury that is being given another chance. It is not a sentence to be taken lightly,

but it is needed to serve as an enforcement to the belief of justice and retribution.

" This is not, as some critics argue, a kind of state-run lottery that randomly

chooses an unlucky few for the ultimate penalty from among all those convicted

of murder. Rather, the capital punishment system is a filter that selects the worst

of the worst..."(Edward. F, Procon.org)

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Over the last decade, those who battle against the death sentence have gained momentum,

with arguments such as morality, deterrence effects, if it brings closure to those affected,

constitutionality, race, the attorney quality and most importantly, the irrevocable mistake it

would be to execute an innocent person.

Morality is, without a doubt, one of the main issues with the death penalty. Is it right to,

as the bible said, take an eye for an eye (Matthew 5:38-42). It is easy to jump to the conclusion

that, it is wrong to take a persons life legally, but it is to be kept in mind the horrors this one

person has caused, and can keep causing. The capital punishment is served in a most discrete,

and safe way so the recipient, unlike his victims, knows that they deserve what they are getting,

and they are being treated in such manners. The death penalty has evolved, from public

executions that were extremely violent, to drastic changes on methods and secrecy.

The most used method of execution, all over the United States, is the lethal injection. A

clean, secure and painless method. The injection has grown popular over the years, since its

introduction on August 29, 1977 in Texas, and its first use on the same state, on December 7,

1982. This method of execution is considered the most humane of them all, a luxury that was not

given to the innocent victims that put the convicted criminal in death row. The process involves a

series of injections, sodium thiopental is used to make the inmate unconscious, Pavulon to cause

muscle paralysis and respiratory arrest, and potassium chloride to stop the heart. These injections

will make the patient feel no pain, and after given a final statement before the witnesses, they are

administered.
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The criminal justice system is known to have flaws, some affect subjects more than

others. The capital punishment, if sentenced unfairly, and is not investigated with the latest

technology, has no return.

Over the years, many improvements have been made to investigate and find criminals.

The chances of an innocent subject getting executed, after the due investigation are almost

nonexistent. If a person has been wrongfully accused, they can take solace in knowing a jury of

twelve citizens must agree in the death verdict, this being after an exhaustive trial where the

accused murderer is being represented, evidence is being shown, and an independent judge

ensures a fair trial.

The most notorious symbol of justice, used anywhere in the world to depict fairness and

equality, is the Lady Justice figure. The image depicts a woman, named Lady Justice after the

term Justice in Ancient Roman art known as Justitia after the Latin: lustitia. The figure shows the

personification of the judicial system.

This representation of justice has factors being visible in the image of Lady Justice, they

are: The blindfold, representing impartiality, representing that justice is to be served without

regards to wealth, power, or other status. The scales, representing the cases strength of support

and opposition. The sword, depicts that justice can be swift and final. The toga symbolizes the

status of philosophical attitude. All these attributes are shown in many variations of the statue,

but as shown in Figure 1, they all keep the same core variations.
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The values represented by the image of Lady Justice are very important to the criminal

justice system, especially when deciding a persons fate. When the death sentence is called upon

a subject, the strengths of the support and opposition must be measured, depicted by the scales,

the trial is to be fair and just, depicted by the blindfold, and the sentence given based on the

factors at hand, with a swift and final sentence, defined by the sword.
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It goes without saying that, event if facts and studies prove otherwise, anti-capital

punishment critics try to make the argument that the state is racially biased. It is proven by facts

and studies that, historically, fifty-five-point seven percent or inmates executed where white, and

thirty five percent black, resulting on the rest being Hispanic or other.

Today there is still a majority of white inmates in death row, it is known that the criminal

justice system might have its flaws, but when it comes to death sentence, in modern times, race is

not a factor.

One of the most important parts, when determining the outcome of a trial, is the attorney

quality. Most defendants that face the death penalty cannot afford a privately-owned lawyer, so a

public defender is needed. The public defender quality in the 21st century has gone up to the level

of privately owned firm lawyers, this due to pro-bono counsel for capital cases of law firms that

are provided to public defenders, whose sole job is to promote indigent capital defense.

Some crimes are so wrong, and horrible, that deserve strict penalties. The sentence that

would pair up to capital punishment, would be life without parole. In the case of the latest

mentioned sentence, an inmate would spend the rest of their life in prison, and therefor die in

prison, growing old and spending the rest of their lifes behind bars. When an inmate is

incarcerated for life, without the possibility of ever going out on the world, they have nothing to

lose. In the case of Anthony Delgado, a death row inmate who previously brutally killed two of

his fellow inmates, in April 20, 2017, he attacked once more, luckily this time only with severe

injuries, a prison guard simply doing his duty and without a doubt with the intent to kill again.

Inmates like Delgado are the type of criminals put on death row for a simple reason, they are the

cancer of society.
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Within all the arguments, one of the most talked about is the constitutionality of the

capital punishment, and usually under the clam of cruel and unusual punishment. Not once in

the history of the American Republic has the death penalty been categorized impermissible, in

fact the constitution explicitly contemplates this form of punishment. The claims of

unconstitutionality of the death penalty originate from the Eighth Amendment, but as it usually is

wrongfully identified, this Amendment only bars those punishments that inflict terror, pain or

disgrace on the subject. Criminals try to shield behind the constitution when, it was them who

violated it on the first place, committing horrible crimes and depraving their victims from the

same rights they try to claim once punishment for their actions is due.

Even though the support for the death penalty has fallen over the years, about half of

Americans understand and embrace that, these murderous beasts deserve the most severe form of

punishment our government has to offer, not only because they put themselves on the shoes of

the victims families, but because criminals are to be punished accordingly with their crime.

In closure, the death sentence it's a necessary evil. Incarcerating murderers for life is only

going to have one effect, having murderers caged in a system where survival of the fittest is their

everyday life, and with nothing to lose, they will kill again. Many Americans can say without a

doubt in their mind, if someone kills an innocent person, and the evidence is undoubtable or

confessed, execution is the last, but needed resort. The death sentence is a necessary and constant

reminder, that if a criminal takes innocent peoples life's, they will pay with their own. It is

understandable that people have different opinions, life is the most valuable thing, and the death

sentence is not taken lightly by those who impose it.

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Works Cited

Dunham, Robert. What's New. Death Penalty Information Center, Jan. 1990,
deathpenaltyinfo.org/.

Feser, Edward. Edward Feser, PhD Biography. Should the Death Penalty Be Allowed?, 6 Dec. 2016,
deathpenalty.procon.org/view.source.php?sourceID=014110.

Press, Associated. Studies: Death Penalty Discourages Crime. Fox News, FOX News Network, 11
June 2007, www.foxnews.com/story/2007/06/11/studies-death-penalty-discourages-crime.html.
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