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