This is a joke right?

“Many people see capital punishment as cruel and inhumane but they lack to see the overall effect capital punishment has. They seem to not see the amazing rate at which homicides and other crimes are rising in their country, states, cities, and even local neighborhoods. With prisons overflowing with criminals, the government has not done anything to speed up the capital punishment process. A faster capital punishment process would save the country millions of dollars which are spent on these criminals. More timely enforcement of the death penalty would help reduce the crime problem by instilling a sense of respect for the law in that sentences are more than words on a page. Capital punishment is a process that is essential in keeping the U.S a safe country and revitalizing the economy.”

The writer suggests that capital punishment, speedily carried out, would be a deterrent and would save money. The fact is that homicide rates have been consistently higher in states that have the death penalty. In one state, New York, the county where the district attorney has said he will never seek it has continued to see decreasing murder rates, while the opposite happened in a county where the district attorney has often sought it. Most academically respected statistical studies conclude that capital punishment is not a deterrent. If they think at all, most murderers do not even think they will be caught.

If the process is speeded up, as the writer suggests, what would happen to the large number of people sentenced to death and later found to be innocent. (Over 100)

As far as costs go, the cost of a capital punishment system far outweighs the cost of of systems without the death penalty. Why not spend this money on crime prevention methods of proven value- more sophisticated policing methods, better equipped police, safe places for kids to go after school with activities that will help them learn to avoid getting into trouble.

“Enforcing capital punishment at a higher rate would have a profound effect on everyday society. People would feel safer and more comfortable going out if there were less criminals roaming around their local neighborhoods. An estimated 16,692 persons were murdered nationwide in 2005, an increase of 3.4 percent from the 2004 figure(Crime in the U.S. 2005). There would be less of a ghetto community because their would not be as many criminals going straight from prison into the housing projects in the ghetto.”

Life without parole means what it says. It is on the books in more and more states.

“With less crime in the ghetto the people of those communities would be able to do more with their lives without the constant thoughts of violence and safety lingering in the back of their heads. The rate of incarceration was 702 inmates per each 100 000 US residents, up from 690 at midyear 2001. This means that one in every 142 people living in the United States was in jail in the middle of last year(Third World Traveler). Crimes involving drugs, homicides, and gangs would slowly decrease as there would be fear of capital punishment for any major crime committed. Local governments would be benefited because they wouldn’t have to preoccupy themselves as much with things such as housing programs for convicts. Executing a person takes away the capacity of and forcibly prevents recurrence of violence. Capital punishment can lead to better lives for children who are forced to live in communities full of murderers, drug dealers , and rapists.”

Your writer again suggests that rates for lesser crimes would go down. This is not supported by the facts. In Manhattan (New York) again with no death penalty prosecutions, the murder rate and other crimes rates continue to go down. Many states have life without the possibility of parole on the books. Moreover, surprising as it sounds, lifers are among the least violent prisoners. (Bedau, The Death Penalty in America)

“The place that capital punishment would affect the most would be the prisons because it would lead to more space for criminals that committed smaller felonies.”

The reason our prisoners are so crowded has much more to do with the incarceration of people for drug offenses and crimes far less serious than murder. Many of these people have been jailed for non violent crimes.

“Prisons would not have to be on high alert due to the overwhelming number of criminals inside their facilities. The number of people in prison, in jail, on parole, and on probation in the U.S. increased threefold between 1980 and 2000, to more than 6 million, and the number of people in prison increased from 319,598 to almost 2 million in the same period(Third World Traveler). Less crimes would be committed inside the prisons as low numbers of prisoners would lead to less fights and confrontations. A stricter enforcement of capital punishment would give the countries law enforcement system an actual chance of keeping criminals in prison for the proper amount of time. A fewer number of policemen would actually be needed inside the facility as the ratio of convicts to policemen would lower. With fewer policemen inside the prison they could be used outside in the cities where crimes are being committed. Capital punishment will be beneficial to cutting down the national government’s costs on inmate housing and on policeman wages.

Actually, getting rid of capital punishment will make far more money available for other purposes.

“The increased threat of capital punishment alters the second thoughts of criminals before they actually attempt to commit a homicide. This leads to numerous homicides not actually being committed. The high threat of capital punishment makes a potential criminal reevaluate their situation and might lead to better lives for people who use crime as an easy escape from their lives.”

Again, the writer assumes that potential murderers are rational and does not recognize that many murders are crimes of passion.

“The vast majority of criminals come out of the worst neighborhoods in their area and learn to be the way they are as a form of survival of the fittest. During the temporary suspension on capital punishment from 1972-1976, researchers gathered murder statistics across the country. In 1960, there were 56 executions in the USA and 9,140 murders. By 1964, when there were only 15 executions, the number of murders had risen to 9,250. In 1969, there were no executions and 14,590 murders, and 1975, after six more years without executions, 20,510 murders occurred rising to 23,040 in 1980 after only two executions since 1976(Pro Death Penalty Web Page).With capital punishment hanging over their heads many criminals will go away from their everyday lives and possibly turn their lives into a semi productive life for themselves and the community.
One of the main reason people argue for capital punishment is that it would greatly benefit the national economy in various ways. Prisons would house less criminals if the capital punishment process was sped up thus cutting down the money spent by the government to house the inmates. If the process was sped up it would save taxpayers millions of dollars . The government would also save money on administering parole as it would not be needed as much because there would not be as many convicts who were granted it. The overall effect of capital punishment on the economy would lower inflation and also give the government more money to build roads, schools, or hospitals. TIME found that, nationwide, the average cell cost is $24,000/yr. and the maximum security cell cost is $75,000/yr. (as of12/95) (Pro Death Penalty Web Page ).”

However, this is far outweighed by the cost of a capital punishment system. Since 1995, for example, New York State spent well over 200 million dollars to sentence exactly 7 men to death and put them on death row. And again, speeding up the process is likely to result in executions of innocent people. In New Jersey, since the mid 1980’s the cost of the death penalty system is estimated at well over 250 million dollars. District Attorneys in some states and counties have said that their offices cannot afford a death penalty system and local officials have expressed concerns that capital prosecutions will drain their towns of money for essential services.

“Capital punishment is administered in various ways in the U.S. and it all depends on the state in which the crime was committed. When minors are involved in the case they can be sentenced to capital punishment depending on their age and in what state the crime was committed. Many people blame the crime rate on the capital punishment method that the United States uses opposed to that of other countries in the world. Imposition of the death penalty is extraordinarily rare. Since 1967, there has been one execution for every 1600 murders, or 0.06% (Death Penalty Paper). A stronger stand on capital punishment by the United States might discourage people of even attempting to commit a murderer. Approximately 5900 persons have been sentenced to death and 358 executed (from 1973-96). An average of 0.2% of those were executed every year during that time(Death Penalty Paper). Many Americans feel that the transition of the United States into a more global mindset would allow a vast majority of murderers to be taken off the street. Amnesty International published a global report on the death penalty earlier this year that revealed that at least 2,148 people were executed last year – the majority of these in China (1,770), Iran (94), Saudi Arabia (86), the USA (60) and Pakistan (31)(Thunderer)”

Note that the United States is in the company of China, Saudi Arabia, Iran in having a death penalty. The United States and Japan are alone among democracies in having the death penalty. (Israel has it on the books, but has executed just one person in its entire history.)

“Americans are conspicuously indecisive about the most decisive punishment in our criminal justice system. Nearly three-quarters of the population support the death penalty, yet nearly half the country is willing to consider eliminating it(Legal Affairs). But why consider eliminating it? Because people find it inhumane to kill a man who is not fully convicted of a crime. With more criminals in the streets there is obviously an increased threat of a crime being committed or a person being killed. There is a long waiting time for the death sentence in the USA. Usually the convicts have to wait for about nine years in prison (“death row”), before an eventual execution is carried out(Anderson, David).”

A number of people released, found to be completely innocent, where the actual murderer was found, were on death rows for much more than nine years.

“Many arguments over capital punishment are over what crimes a criminal should be executed over. Capital punishment is not for every criminal but for those who commit acts of violence in an attempt to hurt someone or a group of people. There is no doubt that this country would be safer without ex-murderers out on the street or in prisons where they could potentially harm a person who is in fact innocent. Every victim is a person of flesh and blood, a part of society. Every crime against a fellowman is therefore at the same time an attack on every member of society – a crime against society(Anderson, David). It is immoral of the government to show compassion towards an individual who has shown aggression towards a fellow resident of the U.S. A dead violent criminal can do no more harm to any other human being. No more murders or violent crimes, rapes or robberies or any other devilish act in this world, and if every murderer would be arrested after the first murder and be sentenced to death, there would no longer be any serial killers(Anderson, David).”

It would be good if potential serial killers were arrested after the first murder. Consider how many are not. Couldn’t police investigators use more money for the tools to find them?

“The fact of the matter is that the U.S. government must speed up their capital punishment process for all of these situations to happen. If crime rates are to be lowered more convicted murderers, rapists, and terrorists must be executed faster instead of being put on death row for nearly an entire decade. If the crime system is to ever be carried out in the correct manner then capital punishment must be placed on those individuals who have proven to be a threat to American society. The capital punishment means that some heinous criminals never again will walk on the streets, and that makes the society a somewhat safer place(Anderson, David). Capital punishment must be imposed on all threats to the American society because although some convicts are sentenced to “life without parole” they still cause conflicts inside the prisons leading to even more deaths.”

Speeding up the process risks executing innocent people. And again, lifers are among the least violent prisoners.

“The profound effect on the national economy would lead to more money for education and organizations who truly need the money being spent on these convicts. By enforcing a stricter death penalty in the United States , the country’s crime rates would fall, and it would improve American society overall.”

This conclusion is wrong. The American Capital punishment system has so many flaws- why would we assume that government can get this right when it makes mistakes on so many other things. And results of these mistakes cannot be reversed.