Why The U.S.

Should Abolish The

Death Penalty
The death penalty is not the necessary evil benefactors of the death penalty would like you to

think. The supposed benefits do not exist and the harm done is significant. The death penalty has been

abolished in nearly two-thirds of the world's countries. The US is now living in the past in this respect.

Today I will argue that the use of the death penalty is harming society and does not provide benefits.

Therefore we should discontinue its use.

The most significant piece of evidence I’d like to present is that capital punishment has not been

proven to reduce homicide. Since 1990 states without the death penalty have consistently had lower

murder rates than states with the death penalty. In the last 20 years, states with the death penalty have had

a homicide rate 48-101% higher than states without. In Canada, in 2003, the murder rate had fallen by

44% since the death penalty had been abolished in 1975, 27 years before. In John Donohue’s 2015 article

“There’s No Evidence That Death Penalty Is a Deterrent against Crime” he states, “There is not the

slightest credible statistical evidence that capital punishment reduces the rate of homicide.” This mountain

of evidence is clear: the death penalty does not reduce murder rates.

The death penalty does not make sense if you are concerned with the wasting of taxpayer money

because it is much more expensive than incarceration for life without parole. Both of these actions remove

the individual from society, so they accomplish the same thing but one uses much more money. A 2004

study by the state comptroller's office showed that trials involving capital punishment cost almost 50%

more than a regular trial with or without the possibility of parole. A 2016 study by Susquehanna

University found that death row inmates cost on average $1.12 million more than non-death row inmates.

Money is being wasted to fulfill the revenge instinct that plagues our society. We could be spending that
money on things that have been proven to help our society but instead, we are using it to indulge in some

of the cruelest and hypocritical instincts we have.

Another issue with the death penalty is that it is applied unjustly. A black person on trial for the

same crime as a white person is more likely to receive the death penalty. A person of low income is

significantly more likely to receive the death penalty than someone who isn’t. Since October 2002, 12

white defendants have been executed when the murder victim was black while 178 black defendants have

been executed when the murder victim was white. As of January 2022, 58% of the population on death

row in the U.S. are non-white people. Given that white people make up about 61% of the population there

is a clear disparity here. Black people are particularly overrepresented on death row, while they make up

about 12.8% of the U.S. population they are 41% of the people on death row. A staggering 95% of people

on death row in the US come from underprivileged backgrounds. The death penalty has been referred to

as “a privilege of the poor.” When discussing people on death row the ACLU says, “Virtually all are poor,

a significant number are mentally disabled, more than 40 percent are African American, and a

disproportionate number are Native American, Latino, and Asian.” It is also very relevant that 186 people

once on death row have been exonerated since 1973. It has been proven time and time again that our

justice system is extremely flawed. Part of this is human error and part is the very intentional creation of a

system that produces racist and classist results. Given that the application of the death penalty is

completely irreversible and our system is subject to error, I think it's irresponsible that such a risk would

be taken. It is also clear that the death penalty disproportionately affects people of color and poor people,

that is an injustice in itself and further evidence we should abolish a punishment that you cannot argue has

been applied in a fair and just way.

I would also like to argue that the death penalty is cruel. The urge for violent retribution is not an

urge we should listen to and most certainly not one we should write into law. Because we are capable of

incarcerating someone for life, executing someone is only an emotional indulgence. The death penalty is
committing the same sin our justice system claims to be so against that they think it deserves the

relinquishment of one’s right to life. This is clear hypocrisy. I believe that all humans deserve the right to

life and another human should not have the authority to revoke that right. I don't believe we are capable of

determining when someone should lose their right to life. I don’t think we could ever possibly be

informed enough to make such a decision. It is abundantly clear the value of human life is not being

treated with the respect it deserves by the U.S. government. I truly believe all people, no matter what

they’ve done, deserve happiness and life, and respect. To those who disagree with me, I ask: what is the

point of treating cruel people with cruelty? It is committing the same crime you condemn. I do not believe

there is any good in revenge.

The death penalty is not helpful to society’s wellbeing, it is a cruel, irreversible decision that has

not been proven to reduce murder rates and dispositionally affects people of color and the poor. The

purpose of our justice system is to keep our society safe and uphold our rights. The death penalty severely

undermines our rights and has not been proven to increase safety at all. In order to have a good and fair

society, we must abolish the death penalty. We can get this done by petitioning our government to change.

You can call your representatives and share your views. You can discuss this issue with others and spread

awareness. If you care about human rights and believe the death penalty is a violation of them please

speak out.