Oklahoma’s Death-Penalty Debate, Essay Example

Like other aspects of our society, our criminal justice system has also evolved over time and mostly in a positive manner. Criminals are now less likely to escape the justice system and delivery of justice is swifter. But despite the progress in technology such as in forensic technology,the probability that a wrong person is convicted of the crime remains alive even if it may be very small. While words do not exist to sufficiently condemn the barbaric nature of crimes such as rape and murder, death penalty is not the solution. In addition to the possibility, however small, of taking the life of an innocent person, death penalty undermines the social progress achieved by the modern society.

Death penalty should be outlawed because it is unconstitutional as a federal judge in California ruled. Judge Cormac J. Carney banned death penalty in the state of California in his ruling by arguing that death penalty violates the U.S. Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment (Hill). No one can argue that death penalty is cruel but recent incidents of death penalties such as the one in Oklahoma have also raised questions about the effectiveness of the execution methods. It has been reported that Oklahoma death row inmate Clayton Lockett took more than 45 minutes to die (Cohen). Thus, death penalty should be outlawed because death penalty in itself is a cruel punishment and making the matter worse is the fact that some states still don’t have effective execution methods that could minimize the suffering of the death row inmate.

Death penalty should also be outlawed because it puts an unnecessary financial burden on the criminal justice system which is already burdened. It is not unusual for death row inmates to be imprisoned for years and sometimes decades before given death penalty.It is estimated that prisoners on death row cost the criminal justice system about three times as opposed to those who are imprisoned for life (Mehall). The burden imposed by death row patients on the U.S. criminal justice system can be judged by the fact that in California alone, over 900 inmates are on death row since 1978 and only 13 have been executed so far (Hill). Thus, death penalty is not only unjust but even puts financial strain on the criminal justice system. In other words, it is not only wrong on moral grounds but also on economic grounds.

Death penalty should be outlawed because it undermines the social progress that has been achieved around the world. Most of the countries in the world do not have death penalty which demonstrates the fact that death penalty is seen as a relic of our less-civilized past. It is unfortunate that U.S. is one of the countries where death penalty is still legal and it is an embarrassment for the country that touts itself as the most socially progressive society in the world. It is even more embarrassing for the country when we realize that other countries who join the U.S. in still allowing death penalty include totalitarian regimes such as China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran (Phillips). Death penalty should be outlawed in the U.S. because it hurts the progressive credentials of the country.

Our criminal justice system has significantly improved but even the most advanced forensic system is not foolproof. In addition, death penalty is cruel and violates the social standards of modern society. Death penalty is not only morally but also economically costly. Moreover, most of the countries in the world have already abolished itwhich makes it even more embarrassing that U.S. still allows it.

References

Cohen, Andrew. How Oklahoma’s Botched Execution Affects the Death-Penalty Debate. 30 April 2014. 8 September 2014 <http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/04/Oklahoma/361414/>.

Hill, Selena. Death Penalty Pros and Cons: California Judge Rules Capital Punishment Unconstitutional. 17 July 2014. 8 September 2014 <http://www.latinpost.com/articles/17446/20140717/death-penalty-pros-cons-california-judge-rules-capital-punishment-unconstitutional.htm>.

Mehall, Amanda. Understanding the pros and cons of capital punishment . 3 March 2014. 8 September 2014 <http://www.theslateonline.com/article/2014/03/understanding-the-pros-and-cons-of-capital-punishment>.

Phillips, Camille. The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty: Two Parallel Discussions. 26 March 2014. 8 September 2014 <http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/pros-and-cons-death-penalty-two-parallel-discussions>.