To say the topic of the death penalty is controversial would be an understatement. The death penalty is something that has been a back and forth debate for many years. As the years go on, it is being discussed more. Everyone has an opinion about everything and everyone wants to be heard. The death penalty should not be a step we take when we don’t want anything to do with certain criminals.
Some of the most famous death row criminals include: Carlton Gary, John Wayne Gacy, Gary Gilmore, Ted Bundy, and many more. These are all criminals who all committed very punishable crimes. Although what crimes these death row inmates committed were awful and gruesome, there are other ways to punish these people. What gives us, as people, the right to sink down to the same levels these inmates who landed themselves on death row for murder by taking their lives. 10% of homicides are committed by people who are diagnosed with mental illness. 15% are susceptible to mental illness, but this is not including the ones who are not being tested for any mental illness because they are thrown behind bars without any measures being taken.
Innocent people are being put on death row. The National Academy of Science found that 4.1% of people on death row are innocent. Although that is not a big percentage of people it is higher than it should be. Innocent people are being killed because of crimes they did not commit. Being falsely imprisoned is wrong enough but the fact that people’s lives are being taken for no reason is wrong. Pervis Payne has been on death row for three decades. He remains innocent but has been accused of murdering a woman and her two year old daughter. Activists have been collecting evidence to prove his innocence.
There are plenty of other options for prisoners on death row. The criminals who are being accused of these crimes are just sentenced to death with no hope of making it out alive. Criminals could spend their life in prison and work to become better people or work with a psychiatrist to get better and to help understand the reasoning behind why they are doing what they are doing. There are other options for these prisoners other than taking a life. If we are killing people because we are mad at the decisions they made or because, we don’t know what to do with them. By giving these prisoners other options, such as maximum security, we can let work up to higher jobs with more responsibility.
What these people are doing is horrible, however there are options out there to make people better rather than just killing them. Our world is changing and evolving everyday and it’s time that our judicial system changes too.
