| Death penalty is an irrevocable crime which | | | | relatives and supporters of the convict's |
| many people argue its effectiveness in | | | | innocence. Whatever the reason for execution |
| deterring future crimes. It became a very | | | | is, it always leaves a negative |
| important issue for the human rights | | | | physiologically affect on the individual's |
| associations such as, "Amnesty | | | | supporters. Think of the daughter or son of |
| International", which is working worldwide to | | | | someone executed whether he is innocent or |
| protect human rights and abolishing death | | | | not. These children are affected by the way |
| penalty. According the facts of "Amnesty | | | | society punishes and might become potential |
| International", today 111 countries have | | | | enemies to the system. Life-time imprisonment |
| abolished the death penalty in law or | | | | without parole seems like a much better |
| practice. That leaves 84 other countries | | | | alternative. As long as, there is no place |
| which retain or use death penalty (Amnesty | | | | for mistakes in the decision, supporters |
| International). There are also "victim's | | | | still argue that the death penalty is the |
| rights" organizations, which support the use | | | | best alternative. |
| death penalty. It became an important debate | | | | |
| lately. Therefore, we should know the | | | | Victim's rights organizations are mostly made |
| consequences of abolishing death penalty such | | | | up of people who had been affected by some |
| as its benefits and threats to the society, | | | | kind of crimes. It is not strange that people |
| its effectiveness and its role in the | | | | who lost their loved ones will behave |
| international arena. | | | | emotionally and support the death penalty. |
| | | | "An eye for an eye" mentality is the basic |
| Individuals and organizations who oppose the | | | | reason these people support death penalty. |
| death penalty claim that it violates the | | | | After the pain, they can no longer take a |
| right to life as proclaimed in the Universal | | | | neutral stand and think about the issue |
| Declaration of Human Rights. They also claim | | | | clearly. |
| that it is an inhuman punishment which is | | | | |
| ineffective in deterring future crimes. | | | | Death penalty supporters are also bothered |
| | | | because they believe life-time imprisonment |
| Those, who support the death penalty, claim | | | | of criminals is a waste of taxpayer's money. |
| that death penalty is effective in deterring | | | | They prefer criminals to be sent to death row |
| future crimes and keep the society a better | | | | than being taken care of for a life-time |
| place to live in. They also believe that | | | | (Thibault). |
| there should be alternative punishments for | | | | |
| different crimes and death penalty is a kind | | | | Although many organizations define the death |
| of punishment some criminals deserve. | | | | penalty an unusual punishment, some |
| | | | supporters argue that the framers of the |
| While opponents claim there is no solid | | | | constitution supported death penalty and |
| evidence of deterrence, people who support | | | | constructed laws to practice it, so it is not |
| the death penalty argue that our society is | | | | unusual. Supreme Court Justice Antonin |
| not able to see the results of what is not | | | | Scalia, after reviewing Callins v. Collins |
| happening. This is like hearing the news of | | | | case, observed that: |
| the shipwrecks, but not hearing any news on | | | | |
| the ones that arrived safely to the harbor. | | | | The Fifth Amendment provides that '[n]o |
| | | | persons shall be held to answer for a |
| Practice of death penalty always carries the | | | | capital...crime, unless on a presentment or |
| risk of taking innocent lives. Cooper shows | | | | indictment of a Grand Jury...nor be deprived |
| proof of this risk when she says, "75 people | | | | of life...without the due process of law.' |
| were released from death row after courts | | | | This clearly permits the death penalty to be |
| reversed their convictions" (Cooper). Those, | | | | imposed, and establishes beyond doubt that |
| who support the death penalty, believe that | | | | the death penalty is not one of the 'cruel |
| it is extremely a small risk and it is | | | | and unusual punishments' prohibited by the |
| decreasing as forensic science improves. They | | | | Eighth Amendment (Scalia). |
| also believe that execution of an innocent | | | | |
| inmate is a even smaller chance than the | | | | One other issue is that United States has not |
| releasing a criminal. This is credited to the | | | | abolished the death penalty for youths. |
| careful observations made before the | | | | Juveniles do not have the same moral |
| execution. The Jogger case is an example of | | | | reasoning as adults so there should be an |
| false convictions. "...the faulty convictions | | | | alternative way of punishing them. According |
| of five teenagers in 1989 would have never | | | | to Schiraldi, this does not look good on the |
| come to light" (Halpern). | | | | international arena as well. He states this |
| | | | well, where he says: "Over the last three |
| Organizations such as the "Amnesty | | | | years, aside from the United States, only |
| International" show the fact that, "death | | | | Pakistan, Iran and the Republic of Congo have |
| penalty punishes the poor" as a reason to | | | | executed juvenile offenders --hardly the kind |
| abolish it. Good judicial representation | | | | of human rights company we should be keeping" |
| often results in less or no penalty, but it | | | | (Schiraldi). |
| costs too much to be represented by a good | | | | |
| lawyer. This situation might result in | | | | Abolishing the death penalty is a requirement |
| changing a death row sentence to a life long | | | | for joining the European Union. Republic of |
| imprisonment for a wealthy criminal. | | | | Turkey, who was waiting at the gates of the |
| According to Mary H. Cooper, "poor inmates | | | | European Union for a longtime, has taken |
| often do not receive adequate legal counsel" | | | | steps to abolish death penalty although it |
| (Cooper). | | | | has not been practiced for a long time. |
| | | | Abolishing the death penalty and practice of |
| Victim's rights organizations argue that the | | | | human rights laws is becoming a more |
| death penalty, in fact, does not discriminate | | | | important issue in the international arena. |
| the poor. This accusation can not be an | | | | "Turkey has been praised for laws adopted in |
| argument against death penalty because it is | | | | August to abolish death penalty in peacetime" |
| an argument against all types of punishment. | | | | (Houston Chronicle). |
| The only way to solve this issue is to | | | | |
| improve the justice system, which is not | | | | I believe it is not possible to end killings |
| easily done. | | | | by executing murders. For a better society, |
| | | | we should be more responsible for human |
| Fairness of death penalty is also | | | | rights. Even though, it is a very small risk |
| questionable because the prosecutor may | | | | that the executed will be innocent, I believe |
| choose to go for the death penalty or | | | | it is not worth it. It is also becoming a |
| life-time imprisonment. Some prosecutors | | | | necessity to abolish death penalty for the |
| always seek for the death penalty and others | | | | sake of humanity in the international arena. |
| may never consider this penalty, this | | | | Every country should take further steps to |
| circumstance discriminates between types of | | | | act according to United Nations' Universal |
| prosecution. There is also evidence that | | | | Declaration of Human Rights. United States |
| "prosecutors seek for death penalty more | | | | should not be in the same class of countries |
| frequently when the victim is black than when | | | | who practice death penalty and be an example |
| the victim is white" (Cooper). | | | | as it is in other issues. Death penalty |
| | | | should be abolished at all so that it will no |
| Another threat of the death penalty to | | | | more be an alternative to kill for vengeance. |
| society is the effect of the execution on | | | | |