Death Penalty Should Be Abolished: The Inhumane Practice

As it may seem, multiple deaths have occurred with the approval of the government. Where a person (the defendant) has ignored the law and committed a crime so barbarous that the only option left is to eliminate the person and decide what form of execution is going to betide. The resolution to this sentence has not always been evident. Whether the defendant should deserve something vigorous, for every tear they have done or whether no matter how great of a crime was committed they are still human has always been a controversy. The alternative to letting someone rot in prison or kill an individual for their actions is only determined by our legal system today. This dispute can only be settled through the hands of a jury.

The capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, has been utilized since the early colonies of the United states. Although we don’t use the same method, we still imply the same concept, killing someone when they are found guilty of certain crimes. Basically, the term “the choice between life or death” has a literal meaning when it comes to a court case involving the death penalty. Actions that lead to this outrageous act have to be very spine - chilling crimes. Today, we have a more legal based conclusion on whether a person is guilty or innocent, rather than in the 1800’s people were executed for minor crimes. On the contrary, not every crime will immediately lead you to the death penalty, but most inmates facing death row are evntually put to death.

For instance, The United States vs J. McVeigh case. McVeigh was convicted with 11 charges, one in particular involved bombing the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. This horrific incident killed 168 people and injured nearly double that amount. He had planned out his felony 6 months before executing his atrocious plan. He was eventually captured before attempting to flee as a fugitive. McVeigh was sent to jail, then turned over to federal custody. Once they had discovered his crime, a court date was immediately arranged. McVeigh was executed 6 years later on July 11, 2001 using the lethal injection. This case demonstrates a tragic crime that lead to the use of the death penalty.

Although the United States was influenced by the idea of the death penalty, the advancement of this process has been quite a journey. Before the lethal injection, the most common execution practice used was hanging, gas chambers, electrocution, and the firing squad. Most of these methods violate the 8th amendment stating that a jury or judge has no authority to order a harsh or cruel punishment upon the defendant. Today, the most primarily used technique is the lethal injection. This approach is primarily modern and is more humane than other methods. Some states find the lethal injection as unconstitutional meaning they do not enforce this with inmates. When you are sentenced to the capital punishment, the death does’t immediatly occur. In states that don’t use the death penalty, those inmates are usually in prison until they have completed their sentence even if it’s 10 years or up to 45 years.

Only 29 states out of 50 use the capital punishment. The most commonly used technique today is the lethal injection except for secondary options offered in most states. The lethal injection involves strapping an inmate to a table and injecting three shots each containing a different chemical. The first shot injected is a barbiturate narcotic which puts the inmate into an unconscious state and stops respiratory function. The second vaccine is pancuronium bromide, this causes the respiratory muscles to rest as well as causes numbness. Finally, the convict is injected with potassium chloride, this stops the heart immediately. This approach in several ways is contemporary because we now have chemicals that in other words, will do the dirty work for us.

There are two main views that are commonly expressed when discussing the death penalty. Some people believe the capital punishment is “too easy” while others feel it is the right thing to do. The controversy of this topic is basically choosing between two sides, supporting the death penalty or not supporting this course of execution. People do not want to support this punishment because they believe no matter what the crime is, it’s not worth killing a human being. On the other hand, other public views may feel that being put to death is “not enough” punishment for the crime that has been committed and may believe the culprit deserves a crueler castigation. The judge and jury are the only individuals allowed to determine the punishment based on facts and evidence.

The capital punishment has been in practice since the beginning of the United States. The only difference is the evolution this practice has made. For instance, we started out by lynching people, then gas chambers, firing squad, electric chairs, and finally the lethal injection. All of these methods revolve around the same idea, killing an individual for a horrendous crime that they have committed. There are large debates not only in the United States, but around the world about whether or not the death penalty should be abolished. Today, we have a civilized execution compared to those of the past and a more legally organized conduction of trials. The death penalty is a tradition that has been in America for centuries and will only keep evolving.

Not all criminals are eligible for the death penalty due to their crime or mental state. Minors under the age of 18 cannot be sentenced to judicial execution because legally they are not adults. Courts have also abolished the death penalty for the mentally disabled and criminals who were guilty of rape with the intention to not cause death. The reason for this is because the execution of these offenders is violating the 8th amendment. The supreme court has ruled out some death penalties in different states not necessarily protecting any group of people, but making sure this punishment is fair. Several factors are used to determine whether a crime is enough to be on death row. Various states are also ruling the death penalty to be unconstituitonal in 2018 to 2019.

Overall, the death penalty is a disciplinary action for criminals who are found guilty of certain crimes. Of course, not every state uses the execution method, but various do. We have used the capital punishment since America was beginning to form. We have advanced and learned how to properly determine if a person should receive this punishment. Not every individual can be eligible for the death penalty, it depends on your crime, mental stability, and your age. A concept that is usally misunderstood about the death penalty is that you are immediatly sentenced to death when in realtiy, you have to serve time in prison first before being executed. Several states do not use the death penalty because they believe it is uncostitutional and unethical while others even offer a rarely used second death option. The technique used today is the lethal injection. Three shots filled with different substances are injected into the felons body with separate functions that will kill them in a matter of minutes. The destiny of an inmate is determined by a judge and jury, they will decide whether the crime committed was harmful enough to be sentenced to death row.