Running head: NO MORE MURDERS

No More Murders:
Abolishing Capital Punishment in the United States
Javier Arauz
El Paso Community College

NO MORE MURDERS

2
No More Murders:

Abolishing Capital Punishment in the United States

According to a survey made by Gallup Poll in 2013, 60 % of Americans support death
penalty. This number was the lowest percent of supporters in more of than 40 years. Even though
the Americans strongly support death penalty, the debate is still open. Should death penalty be
abolished or not? Is the question that polarized public's opinion of the Americans. Death-penalty
opposers think that the death penalty is a cruel punishment that should be abolished because it is
clear violation of the human right of the criminals. Also they believe that other alternatives
should be implemented as a way of punishment. However death-penalty supporters strongly
believe that the capital punishment helps to deter murders and more violent crimes and is the
punishment that the worst offenders of society deserve. In a modern society where the justice
system should punish and help to redeem criminals, death penalty is a cruel and unfair act that
should be abolished because it is unethical, it does not deter crimes, it has a high cosy, and there
are alternatives
Death Penalty is Unethical
A Level 1 heading (centered, headline style caps, bold font, separate line) is used for a
major section of a paper such as the Background, Literature Review, or Discussion sections. A
Level 2 heading (flush left margin, headline style caps, bold font, separate line) would be used to
designate a subsection of a major section; a Level 3 heading (indented , sentence style caps,
bold font, ends with a period, runs into paragraph text) designates a subsection under a Level 2
heading, and so on. Most student papers will use no more than three levels of headings.
Death Penalty Does Not Deter Crimes

NO MORE MURDERS

People who sustain death penalty believe that it helps to deter murders and other violent
crimes, but there is no proof of that. In fact the reality shows the contrary. In his article Death
Penalty No Deterrent to Murder, Jeremy J. Collins said that the murder rates are higher in states
where the capital punishment is legal. But is that possible? Is it supposed that the legal execution
helps to stops crimes? Maybe the high rates of murders proofs that the death penalty is not the
best way to deter violent crimes. But why doesn't it work as it is supposed? Simply it does not
work because it is more a vengeful act that bleeds more violence than a way to stop criminals. In
U.S. society the death penalty is based on retributive justice. That means offenders must pay for
their crimes with their lives. This system seems to be fair, but it does not because it does not help
to deter crimes, it only creates rage and anger on society. Those feelings are the essence of
violence that could ignite more violent acts. The justice system has to understand killing a
criminal to teach others not to kill does not deter crimes; it only creates more. The death penalty
is not a way to stop offenders or make justice. It is only a turbulence response to satisfy the
desire of vengeance.
Cost of Death Penalty
The high cost of death penalty trials is one of the reasons why death penalty opposes
want to abolish it. It is well known that the death penalty trials are more expensive that life
sentence trails. The average cost, from arrest to execution, for a single death penalty cases ranges
from $1 million to $3 million. A cost study made in California in June of 2011 revealed the high
cost of death penalty. The study shown that the state has spent over 4 billion since 1978. It also
revealed that California has the largest and costliest death row in the nation- 714 inmates. The
problem with the cost of a death penalty trial is where the local government gets the funds. The
local governments have to make some budget cuts from precious resources of the community,

NO MORE MURDERS

such as law enforcement, health care, infrastructure, and education to keep the cost of death
penalty system. And sometimes they have borrow money or raise taxes. The wasted money that
is used to keep the death warrant system could wisely be used in programs that helps to stop
murders and others crimes crimes and redeem criminals, such as drug rehabilitation programs.
Death-penalty supporters have to understand the death penalty is financially impractical.
Look for Alternatives
Over the years, the supporters of death penalty have expressed that other options should
be implemented instead using death penalty as a punishment. Incarceration for life without
parole seems to be the best replacement for death penalty. Life sentence without parole, also
known as death in prison, is a several sentence because prisoners condemned to die in prison
are not given any special treatment and, in fact, have less access to programs than other
prisoners. They are housed in high security facilities with few privileges, far away from any
relatives, and in crowded group cells. Some inmates consider that death in prison is a worse fate
than the death penalty because they lost one of their basic right: their freedom. Another
reasonable alternative was made by Chief Justice Warren Burger. He proposed to transform
prisons into factories with fences,. With Burgers proposal, murders can afford their lives in
jail and make a financial restitution to families of their victims and society. The alternatives
seems to be more effective to deter crimes than death penalty itself and are less expensive.
In conclusion, the fact that the death penalty is unethical, does not deter crimes, has a
high cost, and there are alternative punishments gives enough reasons to abolish it. It is a crime
against human rights and dignity, it does not stop violent crimes, it has a high cost for state
government, taxpayers, and the alternatives are more humanities and are most effective. The use
of death penalty in the United States points out that there is something wrong with the justice

NO MORE MURDERS

system, but specially with the U.S. society. A society that uses legal execution as a way of
punishment is a society that behave barbarically and its justice system does not work correctly.
The real purpose of the justice system is to bring criminals to justice, make them pay for their
crimes, and help them to redeem, so they can reintegrate to society as new citizens.

NO MORE MURDERS

6
References

Becker, D. A., & Becker, C. S. (2007). Problems of death. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press.
Cromie, J., & Zott, L. M. (2013). The death penalty. Detroit, MI: Greenhaven Press.
Jones, J. M. (2013). U.S. Death Penalty Support Lowest in More Than 40 Years. Gallup Poll
Briefing, 2.
The Truth About Life Without Parole: Condemned to Die in Prison. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22,
2014.