Death Penalty Doesn't Work
\The Death Penalty Doesn’t Work Do we have the right to take the life of someone who took a life? This argument has existed as long as the death penalty itself has. Many say that the death penalty violates our constitutional ban against cruel and unusual punishment and that the use of the death penalty serves to be inconsistent with fundamental values of our democracy. These are true, but rather than looking at religious aspects and the morality of capital punishment, let’s look at the proof that the death penalty does not work. In this essay, I will argue that the death penalty is illogical because the endless appeals clog our court systems; life in prison is a more effective deterrent against crime and the financial burden to taxpayers to carry out the death penalty are substantially greater than a sentence to life in prison. The appeals process for those facing the death penalty is quite lengthy and clogs our court systems. The filing of the proper paperwork during the appeals process is long enough and then you have to factor in if the wrong paperwork is filed or filled out incorrectly. The court system is already clogged with so many new criminal court cases that this only delays the court dates for already existing cases for those in the appeal process. All of the appeals, motions and hearings take up too much of the time of judges, attorneys, courtrooms and other court employees. Why not do away with the appeals process rather than do away with the death penalty? They have to co-exist. This lengthy process is what keeps innocents from being put to death. Even with the lengthy appeals process in place, innocents have still been put to death based on bad evidence, incorrect paperwork, invalid testimony, change in technology, etc. If the death penalty is no longer used as an option in criminal trial sentencing, then there will be no need for the appeals process. This will also free up the court system in our clogged judicial system. The judicial system is
References: J. Gould & L. Greenman. (June 2008). Update on Cost, Quality, and Availability of Defense Representation in Federal Death Penalty Cases, Office of Defender Services of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Retrieved August 7, 2011, from http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=108 R. Bonner & F. Fessenden. (September 22, 2000). Absence of Executions. New York Times. Retrieved August 7, 2011, from http://www.nodeathpenaltywi.org/PDF/Deterrence%20Fact%20Sheet%209%2020%2006.pdf