The Death Penalty: Can It Ever Be Justified?

Why is the death penalty still around? Capital punishment is the legal killing of an individual as a consequence of an unlawful act they commit. The death penalty has had an increased resentment but has not been abolished largely due to the belief that it is a deterrent to violent crime. There are a myriad of reasons why this punishment is looked down upon in society mainly structured on the argument that it is ineffective and paradoxical in the way it serves justice.
The death penalty is ineffective in the process it takes to punish criminals and in the ways it makes society safer. The punishment is for those who have been deemed unfit to live due to their crimes. An interesting case involved Alvin Ford, who was believed to be mentally ill, was sentenced to death for …show more content…
Even though the extensive examination and years that a prisoner can spend of the death row, the wrong person can still be convicted. Regardless of the high stakes trials and constant reexamination of evidence, “false convictions” have still been drawn in the past according to David Von Drehle of Time Magazine. This conviction process strongly discredits the death penalty and its efficiency. In Edward Koch’s essay, “The Death Penalty: Can It Ever Be Justified?”, he argues, “If government functioned only when the possibility of error didn’t exist, the government would not function at all” (Koch). The idea that the government is perfect does not exist, and if the courts will convict an individual incorrectly in the beginning, it is probable that the incorrect individual will be executed. The danger of this happening is immense as it could also leave the actual criminal out on the streets to continue their crimes while ending the life of an innocent man. This has happened to Carlos DeLuna, Larry Griffin, David Spence and many more, all who were convicted of crimes and executed or put on death row until later discovered the trial