Death Penalty Justly Banned

I do think the abolishment of the death penalty was just. To begin with I was never in favor of the death penalty. I see that as the easy way out and there is no real consequence for the person that committed the crime. I also believe there is a lot of discrimination that could be going on in our system and that our system is very flawed and when someone’s’ life is on the line we cant afford to have a flawed system. The problem is that in this case no one can make everyone happy. But isn’t that true for almost any major political decision? In Governor Ryan’s speech when he is getting ready to abolish the death penalty he says, “I suppose the reason the death penalty has been the toughest is because it is so final- the only public policy that determines who lives and who dies... I know any decision that I make will not be accepted by on side or the other.” When he says this policy decides who lives and who dies, it really bothered me. Why should a country that is free, fair, and just even have a policy that should decide that? And just like any policy that is being debated there is always two sides of the policy, those for it and those against. Every policy has them and no one can ever make everyone happy on any policy. Therefore, that really shouldn’t be a factor in anyone decision on any policy.
In his speech Governor Ryan mentions something that Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, told him. He said, “United States sets the example for justice and fairness for the rest of the world.” How can the United States be the example of justice and fairness when we kill people like that? We sometimes kill innocent people. I see no justice or fairness in that. I believe that killing someone because the killed someone is a crazy look on justice and really makes no sense to me. I think if the committed the ultimate crime they should have to sit and rot in a room barred from everything and live with themselves for the rest of their lives. Killing them would be unjust, unfair, and would make it a lot easier on them. Governor Ryan also says in his speech, “… The United States is not in league with most of our major allies… These countries reject the death penalty. We are partners in death with several third world countries.” America is supposed to be a developing country. Yet, America is separate from the major other developing countries in this issue. Instead, we are put in a category long with several third world countries that don’t even have a stable government or justice system. As a developing country we should be developing, not using old punishments. In Trop v. Dulles the Court decided that, “the Eighth Amendment contained an evolving standard of decency that marked the progress of a maturing society.” The eight amendment states, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” In this case, and this society, the death penalty is a cruel and unusual punishment. This punishment, in this maturing society is no longer ideal and there is no need for it. The standards of our society has changed so our punishments should too.
Another problem in this issue is the public. The public makes it, “… Easier and more comfortable for politicians to be tough on crime and support the death penalty. It wins votes.” (Ryan, Jan. 12, 2003) Although the politicians might not believe America should have a death penalty the majority of the public believed so. The politicians just want votes. They need them to be in power and if being for the death penalty gets them votes, then they will be for it. Even though the supported the death penalty, “Few, however, seem prepared to address the tough questions that arise when the system fails.” (Ryan, Jan. 12, 2003) Many people in the public don’t understand that our system is anything but flawless. For instance Anthony Porter sat on Death Row for 15 years and about 50 hours before his execution he was let go free. He was accused “beyond a reasonable doubt” of committing a murder. Yet, he was innocent. If our system were perfect Porter would have been found innocent quickly and wouldn’t have gone through multiple courts and multiple trials being found guilty when he was really innocent. In a case that I studied in class, the case of Lesley Gosch, I read about a man that was killed by the death penalty because he was found guilty of the murder of Rebecca Patton. However, I believe this man was innocent. “Gosch lost one of his eyes and his eyesight was so poor in the other eye that he was legally blind… Gosch had lost the distal phalanges of four of his fingers of his right hand as well as the thumb on his left hand, as well as portions of the thumb and index finger on his right hand.” (Death Penalty Information Center, 2000) Supposedly a man that has those disabilities was “beyond a reasonable doubt” able to tie up a grown woman and shoot her by himself. The other problem with this case was that no one came forth to talk until after a $100,000 reward was offered. Even then, only two people with sketchy pasts came forward. I don’t think that Gosch was guilty and he shouldn’t have been killed. Also in a study that I read it said, “In January 2000,…Illinois had released 13 innocent inmates from death row.” (Constitutionality of the Death Penalty in American) If our justice system were so great and flawless we wouldn’t have had to release 13 people. For death row that is a lot of people. Those people had gone through multiple trials and courtrooms and found guilty by multiple people. Then, later, after they had been rotting in jail about to be killed for a crime they didn’t commit they get let free. 13 people are a lot of people to make a “mistake” on. “How many more cases of wrongful conviction have to occur before we can all agree that the system is broken?” (Ryan, 2003)
Another main argument people have is that killing the killers is retribution for the family that they killed. However, killing the person or people that killed their loved ones isn’t going to make them come back. In a video we watched in class about the killer, Clifford Boggess, they interviewed the families of the people that he had killed. After his execution no one said they felt at ease or better that he was dead. They knew it didn’t change anything, he still ruined their lives, and he still haunts them. I don’t think that killing someone would change anything. There are also multiple cases where families had said that the killer being killed didn’t help them and it still bothers them.
Getting rid of the death penalty was a very good idea and just.