Capital Punishment Facts

The death penalty was first implemented in the late eighteen century, but since 1999 the number of executions has dramatically declined (Facts, 2016). The total number of people punished by the death penalty since 1976 is 1,429 individuals (Facts, 2016). The state with the highest number of capital punishment trials is Texas, and the combined total of deaths in Texas and Oklahoma is more than the Midwest, West, and Northeast combined (Facts, 2016).The death penalty is real, and opinions about the death penalty run rampant and range from two extremes, however, the death penalty is a mistake. Capital Punishment is wrong because it affects more than just the accused, it uses inconsistent methods to persecute, and it ignores moral standings and
Yet, for the victim’s family, going through the court proceedings is just another reminder of what they have lost. According to Ronald Tabak and Mark Lane “the capital punishment process often creates a second victimization of survivors,” and therefore instead of putting the pain in the past, the prosecutors ask for every detail (1989). The death penalty also affects more than just the immediate family. The average cost of the trial and the execution of a prisoner, depending on the state, range from one million to fifteen million dollars (Tabak, 1989). This is compared to life-without-parole which is “approximately $22,000” per year, for each prisoner (Tabak, 1989). The millions of dollars that are used towards the death penalty could be used for a positive, a uplifting, and a beneficial cause. Instead of taxing the California residents “15 million dollars” for each capital punishment case, that money that is saved could be used to update military equipment or train and hire additional first responders (Tabak, 1989). Also, those “California taxpayers would save 90 million dollars per year” in taxes, if the death penalty were to be terminated (Tabak, 1989). The death penalty also affects the government. The government is in a constant debate over whether capital punishment contradicts the eighth amendment. The eight amendment prohibits any cruel and unusual punishment to be applied
In the book of John, Jesus states: “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (New International Version, John 8.7). In this story, nobody, even the religious leaders, threw a stone at the woman who sinned, and that is because we all sin. All people are condemned to death and an eternity of anguish in Hell because of their sins, but with the blood of Jesus all people are forgive and have a chance of true eternal life. Jesus is the only one without sin, and therefore he is the only one who can judge and convict a person guilty and in need of the ‘death penalty.’ However, when Jesus Christ lived in the earth, he himself suffered the worst capital punishment of that time so that if we “believe in him, (we) shall not parish but have eternal life” (John 3.16). When a man kills a man, whether by the justified death penalty or an unjustified murder, it is wrong because it gives man the power to take a human life away instead of giving that power to the creator of humans: God.
The death penalty is legal in thirty-one states with seven executions already being commenced in 2016 (Facts, 2016). Capital punishment is a reality within our nation and there will continue to be death penalty sentences