The Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty

Arguments used for and against

Electric chair (Public domain image via Pixabay)

The Death Penalty Debate

Capital punishment is a difficult and emotional topic for many. Although it has been abolished in two-thirds of the world’s countries, it has a long history and is still used in many places, including many states in the USA.

Its use continues to divide people. To those in favor, the death penalty is seen as the most suitable punishment and effective deterrent for the worst crimes. Those who oppose it, however, see it as inhumane and expensive. They point to data and comparisons of societies with and without capital punishment and argue that there is no evidence that it deters crime.

This article lists all the main pros and cons of executing people who have committed serious criminal offenses — first, the arguments in favor, followed by the arguments against.

Death Penalty Pros

• It deters criminals from committing serious crimes. Common sense tells us that the most frightening thing for a human being is to lose their life; therefore, the death penalty is the best deterrent when it comes to discouraging people from carrying out the worst crimes.
• It is quick, painless, and humane. The methods of execution have gradually become more humane over the years, so the argument that the death penalty is cruel and unusual is not valid.
• The legal system constantly evolves to maximize justice. Just because it is feasible that a wrong decision could be made by the legal system doesn’t mean that the death penalty is wrong. Every effort is made in the US to give death row prisoners opportunities to challenge the court’s decisions. Modern methods of crime detection, such as DNA testing, also give greater certainty of guilt than existed in the past.
• It appeases the victims or victims’ families. The death penalty can provide families of victims with some closure, which may help them to deal with their suffering.
• Without the death penalty, some criminals would continue to commit crimes. It deters prisoners who are already serving life sentences in jail from committing more serious offenses.
• It is a cost-effective solution. The idea put forward by abolitionists that it costs more to execute someone than imprison them for life is simply not true, and there is plenty of evidence to show this.
• Retribution is not the same as revenge. Retribution is a necessary part of the punishment process — without it, the friends and family of the victims, as well as the public in general, would not feel that justice had been served.

Death Penalty Cons

• There is no credible proof that the death penalty works as a deterrent. In the US, in states where the death penalty has been abolished, there has been no significant change in the rates for serious criminal offenses, such as murder.
• It is a cruel and unusual punishment, where basic standards of human dignity are compromised or undermined.
• It continues the cycle of violence. Retribution is just another word for revenge — it is essentially just a form of the flawed thinking that two wrongs can make a right. The pro argument is that killing people is wrong; therefore, you should kill people for killing, which makes no sense. . .
• It affects the poorer segments of society and racial minorities disproportionately, in part because they cannot afford the costs of good legal support. In the USA, although only 13% of the population is African-American, 50% of death row prisoners are African-American.
• It is an old-fashioned and ignorant solution. America’s image would be improved in places like Europe if the death penalty were abolished. The places where executions happen regularly include repressive regimes like Iran, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia.
• The justice system is bound to make mistakes. In the case of people who are wrongly imprisoned, they can be released from prison and given compensation, but a wrongful execution can never be righted.
• The death penalty is not cost-effective. When all the practical and legal costs are taken into account, it is clear that the execution is more expensive than imprisoning for life.
• A life spent in prison is a worse punishment than an execution. A life sentence prisoner has many years to endure their punishment, as well as experience remorse and reflect on his or her crimes.
• There are strong religious arguments against the death penalty. Life is sacred and God-given. Divine judgment comes in the afterlife.

Death Penalty Facts and Statistics

How many people have been killed by the death penalty?

There have been more than 1,400 since 1977. In the US, between 1967 and 1977, there were no executions. In 1972, as a result of Furman v. Georgia, the US Supreme Court reduced all pending death sentences to life imprisonment. Later, in 1976, the court affirmed the legality of capital punishment in Gregg v. Georgia.

How many states have the death penalty?

28.

Which states allow the death penalty?

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North, Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.

Which states don’t have the death penalty?

Alaska (1957)*, Connecticut (2012), Delaware (2016), Hawaii (1957), Illinois (2011), Iowa (1965), Maine (1887), Maryland (2013), Massachusetts (1984), Michigan (1846), Minnesota (1911), New Hampshire (2019), New Jersey (2007), New Mexico (2009), New York (2007), North Dakota (1973), Rhode Island (1984), Vermont (1964), West Virginia (1965), Wisconsin (1853), Washington (2018) and Washington, D.C. (1981).

*The parenthetical date is when capital punishment ended in that state.

Three states also have gubernatorial moratoria on the death penalty: California (2019), Oregon (2011), and Pennsylvania (2015).

For the most up-to-date information, visit the Death Penalty Information Center’s state-by-state statistics.

How many of those executed via the death penalty were later found to be innocent?

According to some accounts, the number might be as high as 4.1%. According to a study cited in Newsweek magazine, one in 25 sentenced to death is innocent.

How much does it cost to execute someone?

The average cost of a death penalty case is $2.4 million. To learn more about the relative costs, visit the Death Penalty Information Center.

How is the death penalty administered?

It varies state by state, but the methods (listed from most to least common) are lethal injection, electrocution, gas chamber, hanging, and firing squad.

Read The Guardian for more statistics on the death penalty. You might also find Statistic Brain’s data useful.

Did You Know?

• Japan is the only advanced democratic country, besides the United States, that has the death penalty.
• The five countries that carry out the most executions in the world are China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the USA.
• Since 1976, there have been 273 clemencies granted in the US.