Reference no: EM13160660

Furthermore, the death penalty does not reduce crime. Studies show “that the death penalty is no more effective than imprisonment in deterring murder and that it may even be an incitement to criminal violence. Death-penalty states as a group do not have lower rates of criminal homicide than non-death-penalty states†(ACLU). In addition, “[d]eterrence is a function not only of a punishment's severity, but also of its certainty and frequency (ACLU). The death penalty “can be an effective deterrent only if it is consistently and promptly employed†(ACLU). On the other side, if the death punishment procedure is accelerated, can one really be certain that all who have been sentenced guilty and executed were absolutely guilty? If later evidence proves that someone sentenced to death was wrongly convicted, the death penalty is irreversible. Thus, the death penalty should be abolished for its ineffectiveness in reducing crime and potential for wrongly convictions. Moreover, life without parole is a good alternative. Furthermore, “[e]xperts suggest that criminal behavior and the nation's murder rate may best be curbed by addressing the environmental and social factors that contribute to violent crime†(Death Penalty Information Center). The death penalty can execute killers, but do not eliminate killing. The death penalty does not solve society's crime problems. Improving the socioeconomic health of society does.

There is not a humane way to deprive another person of his or her life. The death penalty “is a relic of the earliest days of penology, when slavery, branding, and other corporal punishments were commonplace†and thus has “no place in a civilized society†(ACLU). By abolishing the death penalty, the United States can demonstrate that the state values human life. Moreover, as a leading world power, the United States is able to set a positive example to other states that still practice the death penalty regarding strengthening universal commitment to human rights values.