HOW IS THE DEATH PENALTY IS AFFECTING PEOPLE WORLDWIDE

The death penalty is a cruel, heinous, and inefficient form of retribution that fails to deliver justice in the name of the criminal justice system. As of 2022, there are fifty five countries that still practise capital punishment, making it a universal issue for humanity. Life is a gift that many take for granted. The ability to breathe, laugh, and indulge in the bittersweet experiences of life is, quite frankly, priceless in and of itself. Life is a fundamental human right that should be protected under all governmental institutions, not something that should be easily stripped away from us. The death penalty has failed to address not just moral issues, but also a recurring issue of inefficient deterrence. Capital punishment does not deter crime effectively, it puts mentally ill people at risk, and the death penalty mostly affects minority groups.

The death penalty does not deter crime effectively

The death penalty does not deter crime effectively. Many have argued that abolishing the death penalty will lead to more crime. The General Assembly of the United Nations stated recently, “there is no conclusive evidence of the deterrent value of the death penalty” (UNGA Resolution 65/206). It should be noted that in many re- tentionist states that still continue to enforce the death penalty, the effectiveness of the death penalty is significantly lower compared to places that don’t. Take the United States and Canada for example, where the average murder rate of states that enforced the death penalty in 2004 was 5.71 per 100,000 of the population, compared to 4.02 per 100,000 in states that did not. The murder rate in Canada in 2003 went down by 44 percent ever since they abolished the death penalty in 1975. In order to understand why capital punishment is counterproductive to reducing crime, it is important to first understand the psyche behind the offenders. At the time in which the crime is committed, many of the offenders don’t evaluate the consequences of their actions. Most of the crimes are ignited by passion and intense emotions that almost completely diminish the logical side of the offender. They are not in a normal state of mind, therefore it is difficult for these people to properly weigh out the risks and benefits of their actions. Hence, the argument that the death penalty can stimulate fear in people is futile as offenders don’t consider the consequences when the act is committed.

The death penalty mainly affects minorities

Although many argue that the main purpose of the death penalty is to deter those who have committed crime, in reality capital punishment targets marginalised individuals from minority groups. A racial bias towards people of colour has been a tendency for many years. Statistics show that “35% of the individuals executed under the death penalty within the last 40 years have been Black. African Americans represent only 13% of the general population.” Furthermore, University of Iowa law professor David Boldes notes that in Georgia in the 1980s, prosecutors sought the death penalty for 70% of black defendants with white victims. Only 15% of the victims sought the death penalty. It supports the fact that privileged groups are less exposed to these sanctions than unprivileged ones. Additionally, two-third of the victims of juvenile offenders are white. The typical cardboard stereotype of a juvenile offender that you expect to see would likely be an African American or Hispanic male. People of colour are often discriminated against and labelled as “ dangerous” compared to white people. This method of profiling is extremely threatening to innocent minority individuals who have not committed crime. It also permits privileged groups of offenders to get away with their crime and let off the hook easier because of their skin colour. The amount of pigmentation in our skin should not dictate how we should be treated in the criminal justice system and everyone should be treated fairly and equally. This case must not be a tendency as it makes the death penalty targeted to unprivileged groups only.

Mentally ill people are executed

Individuals that suffer from mental illness are often the ones that fall victim to the death penalty. According to Amnesty International and the National Association on Mental Illness, one in ten people who have been executed in the United States since 1977 suffer from mental illness. Many mentally ill defendants are unable to partake meaningfully in their trials and come across to the jury as uninterested, cold, and emotionless. This in turn increases the likelihood of them to lose in trial because they appear to be more guilty. Some individuals have undergone forced medication to render them competent for execution. Although the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that individuals that suffer with mental illness cannot be executed, states such as Oregon has not yet established laws prohibiting the execution of those who suffer from "mental retardation.” At least 20% of those who are now on death row, according to mental health professionals, suffer from a major mental disease. Military veterans, many of whom have medically confirmed trauma illnesses, make up at least 10% of those who are now serving death sentences nationwide. Executing people with mental disorders is inhumane and cruel as they can not be responsible for their own actions. It should be society and the government’s duty to provide medical care for people in need instead of punishing them.

Conclusion

The death penalty is a heinous and brutal method to punish those who have committed crimes. It fails to effectively deter crime, it victimises mentally ill people, and capital punishment mostly affects minorities. There are many different alternatives that can alleviate the criminal justice system as a whole and reform the mindsets of criminals, such as rehabilitation or changing the social and political structure of countries. Many crimes stem from a lack of education, poverty, and lack of access to resources. These are all issues embedded in the foundation of society and the government should strive to solve these problems, in order to truly see a change in the criminal justice system. As individuals, we should analyse the bigger picture from a holistic view and see how we can help reform criminal offenders instead of promoting stigma and discrimination to those who have committed crime.

Statistics

It is known that at least 579 executions were carried out in 2021, in 18 different countries. However we will never know the true figure as many governments obscure the data as it could be breaking international law or the executions happen in secret. At least 182 out of 8,700 people put on death row in the US were innocent. (From 1973 to 2021).