Is The Death Penalty Effective

Running head: IS THE DEATH PENALTY EFFECTIVE? 1

Is the Death Penalty Effective?

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IS THE DEATH PENALTY EFFECTIVE? 2

Is the Death Penalty Effective?

Many people do not like making a decision on the topic of the effectiveness of death

penalty as a method of deterring crime because of conflicting interests. It is evident that most

states provide death penalty as a gross punishment to those convicted of capital offenses such as

murder and treason. Such countries execute death penalty through hanging, electrocution,

shooting, and lethal injections. In the recent past, many nations have put up a fight against these

judicial executions. In my opinion, the death penalty is not an effective method of deterring

crime because of three reasons. Therefore, states should adopt other crime deterrent measures in

place of the death penalty.

First, death penalty denies an individual a chance to reform. People regularly make

mistakes when performing their daily chores. Therefore, they deserve a chance to correct their

mistakes. Executing a death penalty on an individual is a wrong choice; rather, giving another

chance for reform is always right. Apparently, the convicts of capital crimes end up reforming

and becoming useful community members. If imprisoned for a term, they may end up gaining

some valuable vocational skills that they can utilize to improve their living standards once they

are set free. Moreover, the states should consider taking the convicts of capital crimes under a

psychological counseling plan because it helps to build their mental awareness and correct their

mistakes (Zelden, 2007). Everyone deserves a second chance because none is perfect. Therefore,

the death penalty is an ineffective deterrent to crime because it denies people the chance to

reform.

Secondly, the death penalty is an abuse of the right to life and freedom to live free from

torture. According to Brayer (2016), the state should not deny its citizens the right to life under

any circumstance. Life is sacred. Spiritually, nobody is obliged to kill others. The constitution in

IS THE DEATH PENALTY EFFECTIVE? 3

most countries grants citizens the right to life. Executing a death penalty upon citizens is against

the constitution and a disgrace to their creator and giver of life who is supreme. In short, it is a

state-sponsored murder because in most cases it claims innocent lives and goes against a culture

that values life. Therefore, the death penalty is not an effective method of deterring crime

because it goes against the constitutional provision of the right to life and freedom from torture.

Lastly, the death penalty does not always deter another similar crime from occurring.

How many treasons and murder cases have been committed even after executing death penalties

on such criminals? Well, this serves as clear evidence that this is not a constructive and long-

term solution to such crimes. It is violence to an individual. In essence, states should adopt better

ways of eradicating crimes in place of the death penalty. In most states, there is no noticeable

change in crime rate even when there are frequent executions and their subsequent publications.

Death penalty only satisfies the urge for revenge because it does not last forever. A study by

American Criminology Society shows that death penalty does not prevent murderers from

conducting their acts (ABC NEWS, 2015). Therefore, the death penalty remains an ineffective

way to reduce crime because it does not prevent the occurrence of a similar offense in future.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that death penalty is an inefficacious method of deterring

crime because it denies individuals’ chance to reform, violates the constitutional right to life, and

fails to curb occurrences of similar crimes in future. States should adopt other long-term

measures to curb crime. In that effect, they should remove the death penalty clause from the

constitution.

IS THE DEATH PENALTY EFFECTIVE? 4

References

ABC NEWS. (2015, May 04). Fact check: No proof the death penalty prevents crime. Retrieved

March 25, 2017, from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-26/fact-check3a-does-the-

death-penalty-deter3f/6116030

Breyer, S. (2016). Against the Death Penalty. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.

Zelden, C. L. (2007). The Judicial Branch of Federal Government: People, Process, and

Politics. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO.

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