Capital Punishment - No Man Should Die

Warren Rose

2-26-2017

“No Man Should Die”

Have you ever wanted to play the role of God? Capital Punishment, also known as the death Penalty, has given many individuals the audacity to actually believe they are “sole masters of the universe” because they hold the power of life and death in the palm of their hands. Those who wield such power in the name of justice, in my opinion, do not comprehend the concept of what right and wrong truly means. In the film, Dead Man Walking, Sister Helen Prejean, played by (Susan Sarandon), tries to save the life of (Sean Penn), from being executed for murder and rape, even though he was actually guilty. still, every attempt is met with resistance from the courts, the Governor, as well as from the victims’ families, which resulted in (Sean Penn) being executed. I do not believe that individuals who commit crimes against society should go unpunished, “no man is above the law”, I only argue the fact that the Death Penalty is not the solution.

As a matter of fact, the decision of executing an individual should not be left in the hands of another human being to carry out in the name of justice. To many times people have been found guilty in the court of law for crimes they did not commit. Still, others who did deserve to die for committing hernias crimes, never saw the inside of a death chamber. Public and political opinion, time and time again have influenced the scales of justice throughout the pages of history in condemning a man. An example of this is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, where Pontius Pilate did not believe Jesus was guilty of committing any crimes, yet, was still pressured into condemning him to death by the Jewish priest, as well as the unrulily mob who demanded Jesus to die. In more modern times another instance of another unjust action came from George W. Bush, who was then the Governor of the state of Texas, when he commuted the death sentence for Henry Lee Lucas, a known and convicted serial killer to life in prison. Henry Lucas confessed to the murder known as “The Orange Socks” case, then later said he didn’t do it, casting a shadow of doubt on whether he was guilty. “The first question I ask in each death penalty case,” governor Bush said, “is whether there is any doubt about whether the individual is guilty of the crime” (Michael Holmes 1). Henry Lucas had previously been convicted of 10 other murders, so how was justice served by letting him off the hook to die in this case?

On the other hand, one of the biggest question being asked these days, “how much do it cost to carry out an execution?” In the state of California there are 749 individuals sitting on death roll. No one has been executed in 10 years, and only 13 individuals have been put to death since the death penalty was reinstated in 1978. The average death penalty appeal process in the courts takes 20 years or more. It cost the state of California 5 Billion dollars to execute the 13 prisoners in the last 30 years. In an article written in March 2011, by Glen Barr (Mountain News), statics showed it cost $90,000 more a year, to house prisoners on death roll, then it does for inmates in general population. So, I ask, where is the justice to be found in all that? When many of the condemned men have committed suicide, or died of natural causes before they ever see the inside of the death chamber. Who’s getting revenge on who? Yes, these men are guilty of committing unforgivable crimes, still is seems somewhat ridiculous, to waste so much money on the process that it takes to punish someone for the sins they have committed.

Furthermore, in my own opinion, it seems that putting individuals to death, is being far too easy on them. I am a man who once lived on the edge, caught up in drug addiction, supported by a life of crime. Yes, I have been incarcerated, and I can tell you first hand prison is no joke. Trapped in a underworld society, surrounded by murders, rapist, robbers, and petty thieves, all who are gang-related, is not all peaches and