The Problem Of Innocent Death Row Inmates

According to a recent poll made by Pew Research Center and CBS News, approximately 56% of Americans support the death penalty. Bruce Fein, an author and constitutional law expert, is one of the many constitutional law experts in favor of capital punishment. In his article “The Death Penalty Should Not Be Abolished,” Fein states: “The death penalty is an awesome punishment. It should be applied sparingly to the most egregious and shocking crimes committed by the most unrepentant and callous offenders." The main essence of Fein’s argument embodies ideals that strongly advocate the death penalty. He blatantly suggests that the death penalty should only be used towards offenders who have committed the most inhumane crimes, however, regardless of what the crime is, I believe capital punishment is just as morally heinous as the crime committed itself.

     There are many reasons to both support and oppose the death penalty. Many people can feel very strongly about whether or not they approve of this method of punishment. I feel that the death penalty is wrong, and I believe that there is much support to back this up. I believe that the death penalty is wrong because it is not an effective deterrent, racially and economically bias, unreliable, expensive, and morally wrong of society.

I have struggled with whether I support the death penalty or not. For me taking in consideration that a person could be innocent and the fact it also conflicts with my religious beliefs in the principle of God providing life or death. I have come to the conclusion that no such judgment should be taken upon another human being.

Each year, approximately about 10,000 innocent people in the United States get convicted of serious crimes that they did not commit. And at least four percent of them receive the death penalty being completely innocent. Scenarios like this happen all the time because there are more and more false persecutions each day which can be easily avoided. Many people are occupying prisons all over the world, for felonies they did not execute. More than 200 people have been exonerated through DNA testing nationwide. But why do these wrongful convictions keep happening?

The most important reason why the death penalty should not be abolished is because we need capital punishment for those cases in which a killer is beyond redemption. “Some claim lift without parole is an appropriate alternative to the death penalty” (23). Others say if you kill, you should be killed or if you commit a crime that is bad that you should be killed. “According to Gallup polls, 60 percent of Americans support the death penalty for a person convicted of murder” (23). Therefore more than half of Americans are for the death penalty/capital

Over the course of history, the death penalty is a very heated and debatable topic. The death penalty is often viewed as inhumane and cruel. As a country that prides itself on American values and justice, we need to call attention to the criminals sitting in our jails. This is a monumental decision that no one wants to make, but someone has to. My personal stand point of the death penalty is that the death penalty is in place to help rid our society of criminal's that are incapable of being rehabilitated and released back into society. I support the death penalty because these criminals have caused emotional upheaval and are costing our society more funds required to sit in our jails with the life sentence with no parole rather than exercising

How has DNA evidence helped to identify innocent people on death row? This topic raises the question of how many people on death row should truly be there and what percent are innocent. Jay D. Aronson works at Carnegie Mellon University as an Assistant Professor of Science, Technology and Society, and Simon A. Cole works at the University of California as an Assistant professor of Criminology, Law and Society. According to Jay Aronson and Simon Cole “both abolitionists and death penalty reformers, who seek to promote a ‘scientific’ death penalty centered on DNA evidence, draw upon a mythologized notion of

Every single death row inmates face executions there have been cases that many innocent individuals is waiting to be executed or has been executed. Research lead by Samul Gross, a professor at the University of Michigan Law school stated that “At least 4.1% of all defendants sentenced to death in the US in the modern era are innocent” (Capital Punishment). But not all men and woman run the same faith; there have been many cases where inmates on death row get a second opportunity in life and get exonerated from death row. For example “As of today, 150 individuals have been exonerated from death row” (National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty). Another significant factor that there is a lot of innocent people on death row it has to do with a false eyewitness and authorities pressuring victims. For example, Kirk Bloodsworth from Maryland who was convicted of a crime he didn't commit in 1984, he was sent to death row by a “false eyewitness identification.” (National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty). How about the case of Ruben Cantu a 17-year-old who has never convicted of crimes. On till he was framed with a capital murder case that took place on November 8, 1984, and sentenced of the murderer. One of the victims and only survivor of the crime gave his statement that Cantu was the killer, he was pressured by the authorities to place Cantu in the scene of the crime. “He

I, as well as many others, have total confidence in the death penalty. It is a very beneficial component of our justice system. The death penalty saves lives. It saves lives because it stops those who murder from ever murdering again. It also deters potential murderers from ever committing the crime.

"Since 1973, over eighty people have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence" (Innocence and the Death Penalty 1). Statistics say that of the three-thousand six hundred people on death row right now, at least one hundred of them are innocent (Capital Punishment 1). When an innocent person is executed, the real killer is still on the streets ready to victimize someone else (Pragmatic Arguments 1). The most important problem is that when an innocent person is executed, they represent another human being who did not deserve to die.

The death penalty is one of the worst punishments for criminals. There are so many problems rooted in the death penalty.I believe we should get rid of the death penalty because they could be killing an innocent person that has been convicted. We should also get rid of the death penalty because killing someone is more expensive than keeping them in jail for life.People on death row are promised a quick death not a slow and painful one but there have been times when prisoners are taking longer to die and its more painful than it should be.

The death penalty has been a subject of controversy for many decades. Many people argue between it being more or less humane than a life sentence. Some say it’s not right to kill someone for killing someone else. Others believe it’s not right to keep someone in jail with no hope of leaving, especially in unhealthy, unsafe conditions. In my opinion, I am all for the death penalty; it’s better to die than live in prison for the rest of your life. The reasons why is that it is cheaper, better for the prisoner, and if someone argues the 8th amendment

Coretta Scott King once said, “Justice is never advanced in the taking of a human life”. I agree with Coretta about bringing justice is not about taking someone's else's life. I am against the death penalty because it is not fair to take someone else's life just to punish them for something that they did wrong. Three reasons why the death penalty is wrong are; death penalty puts innocents lives at risk, we pay many millions for the death penalty system, and race and place determine who lives and dies. First, some people that are in jail are guilty and end up getting the death penalty. However, they kill innocent people who do not deserve to die. In the Amnesty International USA website it states,“Since 1973, 151 people have been released from

While criminals must be punished for their criminal actions, “legalized murder”, as author Coretta Scott King put it, is immoral. The death penalty is legalizing the very thing that many on death row are charged for, murder. There is a multitude of lawful alternatives, to the death penalty, of reestablishing a better reputation for the criminals. The Constitution has no true right to allow such a felonious form of rehabilitation.

Death penalty should be scrapped because it can lead to the execution of innocent people. The justice system is bound to make mistakes and so, the accused people should be given a chance to appeal, and prove their innocence other than being murdered because of mistakes made by judges. There are many cases whereby individuals are imprisoned and