You do the crime, you get the chair....wait what?

-"Sometimes the criminal Justice system gets it wrong." Harriot Herman. She said this during a panel for the BBC on capital punishment.  It seems a bit strange to hear this. That our justice system can sometimes miss judge a case like Troy Davis. In today's society, there are over 93 countries that practice the justice of Capital Punishment on those who have committed unforgivable offenses. In countries like Afghanistan, even young children who commit small crimes are executed. Since 1978, the amount of support that capital punishment has decreased by 19 percent. Even so the measure continues. Those who support it.... Those who don't....There are those who support Capital Punishment and those who don't. It is an extreme form of punishment that is economically costly. Also, if you can tell from the top left image, the justice system has blood on it's hands as well. So what exactly should you believe in?

  Capital Punishment does not have an exact history or specific place of origin. In most countries and society's, the form of Capital Punishment, or commonly known as the death penalty, has been used in cultures and societies for thousands of years as a means of executing those who have committed unlawful activities. Methods like the chopping of the head, hanging, firing squad, electric chair and lethal injection, just to name a few, have been evils made to combat crime. It has been an evil that has been viewed to many, according to the week news, as a proportional punishment. But what does this mean exactly? Well it is closely related to the biblical term, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." Or Karma. What you have done, whether good or bad, will be returned to you in some form.

In terms of economic it has taken a very hefty toll.Economically it has taken a chunk of the budget in states who chose to use the death penalty. In states like California, the annual cost for Capital Punishment systems are at least $308 million a year and the average cost for a lethal injection is $86 per shot. And with all that money spent, what is gained? Morally, it has not proven a thing. The fact that we take lives to bring comfort to another is not morally just. Taking a violent life does not create peace. It only begets violence. At the same time, our public safety is key to protect society.

   According to The Amnesty International project, the death penalty has very little effect on outside society. What this means is that if an individual is executed for murder, and the idea of the death penalty is to exemplify a point, it fails to do so. The supporters of capital punishment argue that it sets an example for future offenders. Conservatives like Priti Vatel argue that capital punishment in itself is the only form of justice preventing criminals like rapists from returning to the streets. But the Amnesty United Project argues the death penalty does not put a strain on crime or decrease it.

  The system of capital punishment has taken a great toll on who we are as a country and as a people. this point is bought up primarily due to the execution of an innocent inmate who was wrongfully accused and put to death. Troy Davis was convicted of murder in 1989, for the murder of an off duty police officer. During most of the 1990's, he gained favorable support from the public for his release, for 64 to 80%, he was inevitably executed. Several years later, the witness testimony's that landed him in prison, later say that they were persuaded into testifying against Davis.

 This fact brings us to an important question. In knowing what we know now, should the death penalty be banned? Or is it an appropriate tool to deter violence? The answer for both is no. The death penalty has not proven to ease a crime wave in any form in the past 20 or so years. As a matter of fact 153 have since then banned capital punishment, claiming it is a method that rips away our moral character. If there is one thing life has taught me, killing someone else dose not mean justice. If anything the death penalty is just a way for countries to get away with murder on a massive scale. You may have notice the image with a famous phrase from the Sex Pistols saying No Future. In truth, if we don't change our way of punishment, then we have no future as a civilized society.


Sources:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVMho2cP1NE&feature=player_embedded: Jeremy Irons Interview, facts used were, moral choice and other nations methods.


http://theweek.com/article/index/219630/troy-davis-death-the-end-of-capital-punishment: Troy Davis summary, facts used were of his trial, his support and the review of his case.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5aodBfdFTA: Debating the death penalty, facts used were opinions of Priti Vatel and Harriet Herman.