Should Death Penalty be Abolished? (Essay Sample)

Should the death penalty be abolished?
The death penalty is also known as capital punishment as it's a form of government punishment that involves execution for serious crimes committed such as rape, murder, kidnapping, terrorism, and drug trafficking. It originated in 1990 and has been used by all nations in the world. However, some countries have abolished the death sentence but others have retained it like the United States. Methods for execution of death penalty victims include hanging, electrocution, gas inhalation, stoning, lethal injection, and beheading. The death penalty is a controversial and debatable subject as it depicts attracts different views from different people. Supporters of the death sentence argue that it helps in crime prevention while opponents argue that it is inhuman. Both the supporter's and opponents' views are shown in the paper.
First, the death sentence should be abolished because it is racist. Racism in the conviction and sentencing of criminals is reported in the judicial system of the United Research shows that many Americans vote in favor of the death penalty as they are promised that it will be applied to black-looking and dark-skinned citizens. Bias is reported among many white criminal cases. For instance, in a case where a black and white individual is considered a suspect, the black is automatically charged with murder and given a death sentence. The Blacks are always considered the victims while whites are considered defendants in brutal crimes. In Georgia, those who kill White Americans are more exposed to a death sentence than the Black killers. Chances of black men receiving a death sentence for a rape case were high compared to that of the Whites. Black people who raped white women faced a grave sentence compared to Whites who raped either black or white women. Gender-based discrimination exposes more men to death sentences compared to women. Unfettered discretion is also maintained by prosecutors while making decisions regarding death penalties. Most prosecutors are the Whites who put more emphasis on cases involving the Black as Victims compared to when the white cases. The death penalty based on physical appearance is unethical and unconstitutionally wrong. It is also not safe and fair. A system is therefore required that supports and promotes fairness to everyone and disregards racial and gender discrimination.
Inhumanity and cruelness of death sentence are manifested during death sentence. States that use the death penalty as a form of punishment are considered just and cruel. From the moment a criminal is pronounced as punishable by the death penalty, they are isolated through solitary confinement and forced to live a lonely life. During execution, they experience so much trauma and pain as execution takes the form of torture through various methods like lethal injection, electrocution, gas inhaling, and firing squad. Clear evidence that they suffer more physical and mental pain. Some unpredictable events like power outages during electrocution and incorrect dosage may happen that cause intense pain to the victim. Barrack Obama portrays the death penalty as very disturbing and questions its existence. Killing is immoral and only endorses killing as an effective problem solver hence encouraging the culture of violence. For Christians, Execution is a violation of the sixth commandment in the Bible. It also violates the human constitutional right to live. A death sentence is irreversible and does not give individuals a chance to correct their mistakes. Forms of punishment are required in the judicial systems that show value to human life and rights and therefore death penalty should be abolished.
Besides, the death sentence expresses unequal rights as it's more pronounced to the poor more than to the rich. The aspect of poverty is seen in both personal matters and risk factors. During trials, the poor may not afford the bail money forcing them to jail custody that makes them defenseless. Judges are also biased and falsely accuse the poor of major crimes which increases their chances of getting the death penalty. A qualification to not being sentenced to death is being rich enough to afford a good criminal defense lawyer for representation. The poor cannot afford fine lawyers forcing them to use inexperienced attorneys making them lose the cases as they lack monetary motivation. This exposes the poor to high chances of being charged a death sentence for crimes they did not commit. In government-involved cases, the poor are automatically accused of crimes and are silenced through the death sentence. The poor are also easy police targets. The corrupt systems fueled by bribes make the poor helpless and more vulnerable to abuse. They struggle daily to ensure that they acquire necessities like food and shelter. A death sentence to the poor will only increase their trauma and it's a horrible experience. However, when money and authority are involved justice is never served in the judicial system. A more fair system is required that does not discriminate against the poor and since it does not exist death sentence should be abolished.
The death sentence should be abolished as most inmates are innocent yet still given a death sentence leading to wrongful execution. Most innocent people have a high chance of not having good and experienced lawyers as a result of poverty. They could also be the Blacks who due to racial discrimination are convicted and charged with death sentences automatically without confirming their innocence. The bias and flaws in the judicial system also set the criminals free and convict the innocent. Mistakes committed by government officials also warrant the execution of innocent souls. All the innocent victims who were once charged with a death sentence but later resentenced explain the horror and terror of death row and convince everyone to believe that a death sentence should never exist. Evidence that many innocent lives are wrongfully accused exists when many death-sentenced criminals are not executed after a review of their cases. Fallibility exists in all judicial systems and efforts to prevent wrongful execution prove futile. The risk of claiming innocent lives will never be eliminated as long as the flawed judicial system exists. Due to the emerging corrupt methods death sentence should be abolished.