How many people have you met in your life? Would you be able to count them on one hand or be able to count them at all. Truth is, even if you tried you probably wouldn’t be able to keep track. With so many people in the world there is so many different mindsets and personalities. Some evil, some pure and some a little bit in between. Most of the evil in the world is locked away behind steel bars, some is hiding from discipline and the worst of the worst are fighting for their life on death row. Or are they? The topic of capital punishment and the death penalty is one surrounded by much controversy, but let’s take a deep dive and see if it is truly good or bad. To be placed on death row you must be a heartless and dangerous criminal. All of the prisoners that are currently on death row have been convicted of murder. (DPIC) Some being convicted of multiple murders. The death penalty kills these criminals as their punishment but the irony of the situation seems to stick out like a sore thumb. Why is it okay for the government to kill but wrong for others to kill? Some people feel that the death penalty is not a good form of punishment and can be seen as the government taking advantage of their power. One reason people feel that the death penalty is not a good form of punishment is because it is hypocritical. People that face the death penalty are very cold blooded individuals. Serial killers such as John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy have been killed by the death penalty just to name a few. These two men were responsible for the murders of 63 people. Does killing this many people justify the government killing them? Now let’s scale these numbers down. Orlando Hall was sentenced to the death penalty in 1995. Orlando as well as four other people raped and murdered a 16 year old girl over a drug debt. (Blankinger, Marshall Project) Orlando was killed by the government for killing one person. Compared to Gacy’s and Buncy’s combined 63 was it fair for Orlando to face the same punishment? Some people feel it was not. One small example is protestor Slyvester Edwards who held a sign reading “Thou Shalt Not Kill #stopexecution” (Photo: TheTribuneStar) Slyvester Edwards held this sign across the street from the federal penitentiary located in Terre Haute. Protests like this are not uncommon and all show a similar idea. People do not want others to kill no matter if the person is good or evil. In a way, killing someone who has committed murder shows society that murder is ethically okay if it is for a good reason. But does that mean you should go around killing evil people? No. This argument leads to very harsh debates of power abuse by the government, hypocrisy and even claiming the government is evil themself for killing people. Another reason people don’t support the death penalty is because it is too risky since it is the only form of punishment that cannot be reversed. People are wrongfully convicted of crimes more often than you think.  Studies have shown that approximately 5% of criminals in American prisons are actually innocent. This means one out of every twenty criminals is innocent and wrongfully convicted in America. (Gilbert) Since 1973 at least 190 individuals have been wrongfully executed by the death penalty. (DPIC) This number is astonishingly high since it is such a huge mistake to make. Since 1973, 1,548 people have been executed by the death penalty. (Equal Justice Initiative) With 190 of these people being wrongfully executed this means that about 12% of people executed by the death penalty were actually innocent. This shows not only how serious this form of punishment should be taken, but also how risky it is. Once a person passes on their life cannot be gained back. These punishments are permanent and although an argument can be made for killing criminals, there is no argument for killing innocent members of society. The government and justice system can be considered cold blooded for these actions and this raises the question, are they any better than true criminals? That is for you to decide.  The justice system is a complicated system but the intention of keeping society safe is behind it. Keeping everyone as safe as possible is what jail and prisons are for. Many people believe that those institutions are meant to reform and be a place for rehabilitation for criminals. This leads to the concept of death row and the death penalty. This form of handling crime is meant for the most evil criminals who commit the worst crimes including murder, rape, abduction and much more. Some people feel that the death penalty is a good form of punishment and let me tell you why. One of the main arguments to maintain the death penalty is because it will stop people from committing the worst crimes possible such as murder. Crimes like burglary, assault, theft  are still wrong actions that deserve punishment, but crimes such as rape or murder ruin lives of many.  Not only the victims but those crimes leave long lasting impacts on the victims families who have to deal with having a loved one ripped from their life. Punishing the people who commit these crimes with death can prevent other people from doing the same crime. According to a survey taken in April of 2021 six out of every ten adults in the United States support the death penalty. (Gramlich) People support this form of punishment when the criminal is morally wrong. Most of the time capital punishment is supported when people commit the crime of murder which is why criminals are on death row.  Losing life is something that cannot be reversed since you only live once. The justice system is used as not only a punishment system but also as a tactic to strike fear into society to do the right thing. Since the consequence of death is so severe crimes of rape, murder and worse should become less common, at least that is the idea behind it. Another reason people support the death penalty is because it allows the victim and their families to get retribution. (ProCon.org) This idea comes from “an eye for an eye” as many people believe the only fair way to treat someone losing a life is by losing their own life. Some victims’ families do not think it is fair if their loved one is killed and the killer gets to live their life inside of a cell. Also, taxes go towards the jail systems to feed them and provide them with living conditions. This means in theory that the victim’s family is paying for the killer to live. Having a death penalty allows victims families to feel better as they know that the person who committed the crime can never harm them or anyone else ever again. Losing a loved one to murder is scarring and can cause people to be scared to leave there homes or live there lives. Using the death penalty can comfort these victims and also secure the rest of society as it shows that there is no place in this world for people that evil. Will the debate over the death penalty ever come to a common agreement? Most likely not but it is fun to see the argument from both sides. Abolishing the death penalty seems the most reasonable due to the percentages of mistakes and the jail system already doing a similar justice to criminals. But keeping the death penalty also seems fair, mainly to victims families, as a justice that not only punishes but helps the healing process of loss. It is a hard topic to pick a side on since both sides have their pros and cons. Although this is tough, the true problem is the evil of the world. Eliminating the evil of the world will always be a goal of the country so whatever the most efficient way is should be the way that is kept by justice systems. This controversial topic may not be the easiest thing to discuss but what do you believe is the best option? Work Cited Lilian Segura – The Intercept “Trump Presses forward with execution of man convicted by all white jury” DPIC – Death Penalty Information Center https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/ John Gramlich – “10 facts about the death penalty in the U.S” Claire Gilbert – “Beneath the statistics: The structural and systemic causes of our wrongful conviction” Equal Justice Initiative https://eji.org/ https://eji.org/issues/death-penalty/#:~:text=1%2C548%20people%20have%20been%20executed%20in%20the%20U.S.%20since%201973. ProCon.org https://deathpenalty.procon.org/top-10-pro-con-arguments/