Death Penalty Reform

Should there be Death Penalty Reform?

There’s a saying that two wrongs don’t make a right. According to the DPIC (Death Penalty

Information Center) where they record statistics on the death penalty, thirty-one out of our fifty states

feel as if the death penalty is a good choice to have in lines to punishment (DPIC, 2017). Killing

someone out of revenge for wrong doing of themselves is not justified with the death penalty. There are

many studies that have been conducted that say the death penalty is not only ineffective, it's also

expensive, and has had innocent people exonerated from it. There has to be a more effective way to

punish someone for wrong doing, a better cause to direct the money saved toward, and with it

abolished it
Next, they use a second drug, which is used for muscle paralysis, eventually suffocating the

person. Lastly, it's followed by potassium chloride to eventually stop the heart. (DPIC, 2017). It is said

that the medication Midazolam makes its receiver forget any pain inflicted, but does not take the pain

away. This fact alone would say the death penalty affects the eighth amendment, which protects people

from the government giving them excessive fines, excessive bail, or cruel and unusual punishment,

including torture. If this country is to keep using the death penalty, the government needs to come up

with a better drug to make the process a smoother, more effective transition. If this country decided to

do away with the death penalty a solution could be giving the people who need the maximum

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punishment life without parole and maybe even some restitution paid to the people affected by their

crimes. During their stay in prison maybe there can be some good come out of it.

According to the DPIC, death penalty cases cost approximately three times more than a
Many people have been exonerated from the death penalty due to evidence proving them

innocent. According to Amnesty International, “Death Penalty and Innocence”, since 1973, 156 people

have been exonerated(2017). In 2003 there were ten exoneration’s alone. These numbers do not include

the ones that were proven innocent a little too late. These facts alone say mistaken eye witness

testimonials are possible, faulty forensic science does happen, and there is such thing as a false

confession. Not everyone pronounced guilty is actually guilty, and giving them a life sentence instead

of the death sentence gives them a chance to prove their innocence.

All this evidence points to the fact that doing away with the death penalty would be

good for everyone involved. Just doing away with the death penalty does not mean that the

guilty don't pay for their actions; they still can get life and be locked between four walls till the end of

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their days. The eighth amendment wouldn’t be getting trampled on, the savings could be put toward

better causes, and the innocent would have a chance to prove