By Michael Yang
Over the years, many countries have questioned the morality of the death penalty, leading many Western countries to declare it inhumane, and abolish it. The death penalty is not only inhumane, it does nothing to deter crime, and does not belong in the United States.
The death penalty has already been declared in many countries, such as Canada, Australia, and most of Western Europe. Over 100 countries have abolished the death penalty for all punishments, and only 37 countries, including the US, continue to use it in law and practice. Many countries find the death penalty inhumane, as it often results in the death of innocent people. In fact, some studies find that one in 25 US prisoners who were executed were later found innocent, or not guilty. Even if that number was one in 1000, it would be too much; the only way to prevent people from wrongful executions is to abolish the death penalty.
In addition, the death penalty does not even do anything to deter crime. Studies have shown that states without the death penalty often have lower homicide rates per capita than those which abide by the death penalty. If the death penalty does nothing to deter crime, and costs more (due to appeals) than life in prison, why do we continue to use it?
The death penalty is inhumane, inaccurate, and ineffective. In addition, it is more expensive than keeping a prisoner incarcerated, and often leaves error. It should not be used by the US.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_by_country
www.newsweek.com/one-25-executed-us-innocent-study-claims-248889
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/22/us/absence-executions-special-report-states-with-no-death-penalty-share-lower.html?pagewanted=all
