Death Penalty Should be Abolished

The state should not allow death penalty to be used as a punishment, and it should be abolished. There is racial bias in death sentencing and capital punishment does not solve the issue of crime. There have been individuals who have been released from death row because of innocence which shows that the death penalty is a cruel punishment. There have been innocent people imprisoned, and in some cases have been executed even with evidence that supports their innocence. In fact, there are people of color that are more likely to be put on death row. If the defendant is black, they are more likely to receive a death sentence in court. In addition as to why death penalty should be abolished is due to the fact that shortening someone’s life is not cheaper, and states have found that death penalty cases are more expensive then non-death cases.

The risk of executing an innocent person continues today in many states in the United States of America. For example, Troy Anthony Davis was executed in 2011 for a police officer murder. However, “no physical evidence tied Mr. Davis to the crime. He was convicted solely on the basis of eyewitness testimony and 7 out of 9 witnesses have recanted or changed their story. An eyewitness testified for the first time in 2010 that he saw someone else, not Davis, shoot Officer MacPhail” (Totonchi). People are being wrongfully accused of murder, and some of those people with claims of innocence are on death row. How can states go ahead with an execution of someone who has proven their innocence with evidence? The death penalty violates our human rights, and it has been proven of not being effective.

The death penalty is applied unfairly, and many times it’s used towards low income or people of color. There is corruption in the justice system, and racial bias is a huge issue. Troy Davis was a black man, and may he have been white, the execution would not have gone through with it. It’s an inhumane punishment, and it does more bad than good. The individuals put on death row have no chance for rehabilitation. No one deserves the death penalty regardless of their wrongdoings. Killing another human being is degrading, and after life is taken away, it's an irreversible sentence. Therefore, death penalty should be abolished because it violates the right to life.