Declining Death Penalty Must Move Quicker
Sam Larsen
Staff Writer
The use of capital punishment over the past two decades and due to capital punishment, the annual death rate of inmates have dropped below 40 percent. While nationally, the number of death sentences continues to drop overall, it remains a legally and socially acceptable form of justice for murder in 32 states. Due to a shortage of lethal injection chemicals, there were only 39 deaths in 2013. By the next decade, the number of deaths by capital punishment is expected to be under ten at least.
Capital punishment began as early as 400 AD- 1300 AD. Since then, it has spread across America like wildfire. In 2007, the death penalty was abolished in six states. Texas has performed the most death penalties, with an outrageous amount of 1,263 as of Dec. 3 since 1976.
There are many reasons why capital punishment needs to be permanent abolished by all states permanently. One of the reasons is because it is extremely expensive to execute somebody. It takes more money to kill someone than to keep him or her in jail for the rest of their life. Executions are paid for by state’s taxpayers. A 2011 study found that California has spent more than $4 billion on capital punishment since 1978. Currently, California spends $184 million on the death penalty, which adds up to $1 billion every five years.
Over the years, many of the prisoners executed were falsely convicted. Some died and others were taken out of prison to receive compensation. According to Amensto USA’s website, 140 people have been released from death row due to wrongful conviction since 1973. In the same period of time, more that 1,400 lives were taken.
Overall, whether the death penalty is socially acceptable or not, it causes pain and sorrow for the relatives of the convicted. Also, the government doesn’t benefit from it, so there should be no reason to practice capital punishment. The death penalty became a way of life for the country. Although the amount has dropped significantly, it needs to drop to where there are no lives taken at all.
