Capital punishment is the penalty of death for the commission of a crime. Throughout all of human life, it has been used as the highest of corporal punishments to condemn offenders of the vilest crimes, such as murder or rape. It is practiced even today, although there are many reasons why it is an absolutely unacceptable way of punishing a criminal, regardless of what crime he or she has committed. It is a shameful practice that contradicts all of our morals and values, and it is murder, no matter how hard the government tries to deny it. It is not even justly administered because racism and social status are the biggest factors in determining who is sentenced and who is not. What's more, the death penalty is irrelevant by giving the worst criminals the easy way out, while the purpose of it is to be the harshest of punishments. It is also unnecessary because the death penalty is very costly; therefore, a lifelong sentence would be more economical. This is a practice that must be completely abolished because for its inappropriateness, immorality, and unjust and arbitrary administration.
The first issue that comes to mind is the immorality of capital punishment. Murder is unforgivable, but exact retaliation does not compensate for the lost lives nor does it cancel out the crime. Sixty-three percent of Americans are actively affiliated with a faith group, which means that regardless of the religion, they have all learned that it is wrong to kill and that they must forgive (Robinson). "As I read the New Testament, I don't see anywhere in there that killing bad people is a very high calling for Christians. I see an awful lot about redemption and forgiveness," stated the former execution officer (Park). .
The fact that human error leads to the deaths of innocent people adds to the moral crisis of the death penalty because capital punishment is irreversible. In In Spite of Innocence: Erroneous Convictions in Capital Cases, Michael Radelet, Hugo Adam Bedau, and Constance Putnam noted that there were at least four hundred people who were falsely convicted of murder.
