Although the people facing the death penalty were committing these crimes in cold blood
the eighth and fourteenth amendment in the bill of rights, which is defined as cruel and unusual
punishment and the right the life law and liberty, is being fought against and taking basic rights
away from these people. There have been many instances where the Supreme Court has met over
a case and ruled that capital punishment was cruel and unusual punishment and went against the
basic rights to life liberty and law in the eighth and fourteenth amendments.
Three major court cases that supported the opposing side of capital punishment are roper
v Simmons, Coker v Georgia, and Furmman v Georgia. All three of these cases lead to capital
punishment being ruled unconstitutional due to the harshness and the process of taking away the
right of the eighth and fourteenth amendments (Major death penalty cases). These cases lend the
person who is opposing the death penalty the opportunity to verify their opinion on capital
punishment because it proves that even the Supreme Court has the thought that this punishment
is extremely excessive for the crimes being committed. Although many countries still enforce
capital punishment, a total of 141 countries throughout the world have abolished capital
punishment through the human rights standards (death penalty facts may 2012). Many people
may argue that the numbers of those who and pro death penalty outweigh those who oppose itbut
when looking at the chart given by the researchers you see number from christens like 49%and
numbers from the protestant religion like 43% who oppose capital punishment. Although these
numbers are not in the 60's and 70's they are clearly still influential in the controversial battle.
The Citizens of the United States tend to argue that sentencing criminals to life without
parole costs more than taking their life but facts found in the death penalty facts from may
2012supports otherwise. The costs to sentence and carry out the death penalty actually tend to
only cost more before and during the trial, "not in post-conviction proceedings"(Death Penalty
Facts May 2012). There is no reason to oppose saving money and although many argue that
you’re wasting your tax money that comes out of your pay check yearly you are also helping the
prison stay in healthy living conditions because although these criminals have been proven guilty
by a fair trial process they still deserve to receive and decent level of basic care. This argument is
about much more than the costs that differ between the sentence of capital punishment and life
without parole, but it's also about the costs of humanity. Is it fair to take away an individual’s
right to live by committing a crime just as bad in order to do so? Stated in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights 1948, "no one shall be subjected to cruel or degrading
punishment." This is not only one of the most cruel things you can do to a man but you are also
taking away not only their life but also their rights to law and liberty which are stated in the
14thamendment. This is why two-thirds of countries throughout the world have abolished the
death penalty and are leaning more towards the sentence of life without parole because it is much
more humane.
If it is not already cruel and inhumane enough by taking away someone's life and many
of their basic rights given to them in the bill of rights but what if that person accused is
innocent.Governor George Ryan of Illinois will not let anyone meet the fate of lethal injection,
the most common form used in capital punishment to kill somebody, until he can be truly and
honestly100% certain that "everyone sentenced to death in Illinois is truly guilty." There are
many examples of wrongful convictions placed on innocent lives that were wrongfully taken or
even of people who died on death row waiting for someone to realize that they had nothing to do
with the horribly awful crime that has been committed, people put to death for a crime that later
they found they did not commit. For example one man, Daniel Wade Moore, was sentenced to
death in 2002 but in 2009 he was acquitted because "256 pages of withheld evidence were finally
revealed"(The Death Penalty and Innocence May 2012).If this many innocent people are being
wrongfully sentenced to death how are we to be sure that our justice system is doing the
adequate research needed to righting fully find a person guilty of a crime.
Many people tend to ask themselves "Does race play a part in choosing who's case is
authorized for the death penalty?" the correct answer is yes, there is a much higher chance "in
cases where the victim is white, regardless of the race of the defendant"(The Federal Death
Penalty) the man or women being convicted will be found guilty even if they did not commit the
crime. Not only is there a better chance for those people who may or may not have killed or did
any other vindictive crime on a white person but also there is much more of a chance that white
people will have their death sentence removed earlier or sometimes even completely then person
of color. People of color, African American Hispanic Native don't seem to get the same
opportunities in the justice system as white people do. As far as how people of color are treated
during their case, "killers of white victims are treated more severely than people who kill
minorities"(The Death Penalty and Race). To many of you this may seem shocking because as
children you were taught that every man and women in or nation will have the right to a fair
andspeedy trial but that right is being broken as the justice system treats minorities or people of
color more severely than white. The basic rights to life, law, and liberty are still given to any
American’s but there seems to people sneaking around in the shadows looking for ways to bend
the rules when the victim of the crime, like murder, is white.
One huge aspect of American life is the morals by which you live some being respect
honesty and so on and so forth but when someone is sentenced to the death penalty it goes
against man basic morals of American and many of faiths and denominations and ethnicities.
Many believe the death penalty does not affirm the quality and innocence of human life also it
demeans or destroys the value of life, promotes violence, and does not promote or even give the
ability for the spiritual healing and well-being of victims(" 10 reasons to oppose the death
penalty." . Death Penalty Focus.) Another problem many people who oppose capital punishment
have is that it does not act as deterrence. When you were a child and you hit somebody then you
were spanked you were receiving addversive conditioning which in this case is what the justice
system and government are doing. For example if you murdered somebody and then receive
capital punishment you will be sentenced to death which in a big picture is the government
killing somebody who killed somebody. When this takes place it does not act as something to
warm people who are committing these horrible crimes of what will happen because to the
public all they see is the government saying that it is okay to kill somebody who has acted
wrongfully instead of giving them a chance to repent and feel remorse for the crimes that they
have committed ("Death Penalty.". Live Free or Die Alliance.) When capital punishment is
sentenced many people on the outside believe that is provides the victim’s family a of sense
relief and stability because the person who committed these horrible crimes against them or their
families will no longer be able to hurt them, But really this is the opposite of howthe death
penalty affects the victims. Because the person who committed the crimes is now dead or on
death row waiting for his or her execution date the victims will never truly get to ask the person
who tore apart their life why they did it therefore the healing process for the victims will be
prolonged("Death Penalty." . Live Free or Die Alliance.)
Therefore when a person is sentenced to death row there are many reasons for how it
goes against not only the Eighth amendment but also the 14th amendment. Many of these
reasons go unnoticed because people want to believe that by killing someone who killed
somebody or committed any other horrible crime will show other criminals that they cannot do
this and will be punished they don't see the fine print they don't know how the victim will be
affected or how maybe they have to wrong person sitting on death row for a crime that they
didn't commit. But Most of all capital punishment stripes you of your basic rights only for the
government to act out a crime that if committed by a civilian would be punishable my life in
prison without parole.
Works Cited
"10 Reasons to Oppose the Death Penalty."Death Penalty Focus.Ed. Jeanne Woodford.N.p.,
2012. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.
"Know the Facts About Capital Punishment." Amnesty International.Amnesty International
USA, 2013.Web. 14 Jan. 2013.
"Should NH Have the Death Penalty?" Death Penalty. The Live Free or Die Alliance, 2012.
Web. 14 Jan. 2013.
"Top 10 Pros and Cons - Death Penalty - ProCon.org." Top 10 Pros and Cons. N.p., n.d. Web.
14 Jan. 2013.