Northern Star

Opinion

USA: The death penalty is too flawed to fix - get rid of it

According to Amnesty International, between 1973 and 2001, 99 people were released from death row across America after evidence of their wrongful convictions emerged. These lucky 99 were spared, but how many innocent people still remain incarcerated, waiting to die for crimes they didnt commit?

 While the guilt of many of the accused may be in doubt, one thing is certain: The death penalty (as well as the system behind it) is tragically flawed. The system not only sends unknown numbers of innocent people to jail, but routinely executes many of them. By killing wrongly convicted death row inmates, the United States judicial system is just as guilty of unjust slaughter as any murderer.

 On Oct. 25, Joseph Martillaro wrote a column in the Northern Star in which he argued that the death penalty should be used as it was always envisioned to be used as a deterrent. It may interest him to know that capital punishment does not dissuade people from committing violent crimes. In fact, a New York Times study found that during the last 20 years, homicide rates in states with the death penalty have been 48 to 101 percent higher than in states without the death penalty. Further, FBI data shows that 10 of the 12 states without capital punishment have homicide rates below the national average.

 The column also suggested that innocent people shouldnt be so outraged if they're wrongly convicted and executed for crimes they didn't commit. He even goes so far as to label these victims of the system as martyrs, who should be proud to serve the greater good of the nation by setting an example of the consequences the judicial system has laid out in the event of violent crime. Well, the statistics I've already offered explain quite clearly that the death penalty does not work as a deterrent. But, to address the other side of the issue, far too many innocent people are or have been on death row. One innocent person is one too many.

 What if the next person to be made an example of was someone you knew? Would it be OK for the government to execute your father, for example, simply to scare off would-be murderers? There's a little something called human rights, and just as you wouldn't care to have yours violated, you must respect the rights of others, especially those of the innocent. But, how do innocent people end up on death row anyway? Well, it's shockingly simple - and equally disgusting. Many suspects are inadequately defended during their trials. It's also not uncommon for police misconduct or perjured testimony to land someone in the slammer. But, perhaps most appalling, the death penalty is racially biased. Studies show that since 1977, over 80 % of death row defendants have been executed for killing white people, while African-Americans make up about 50 % of all homicide victims.

 Put simply, the death penalty is too flawed to fix. As a supposedly advanced nation, the United States should be actively pursuing other ways to prosecute, convict, and punish violent criminals. It's outrageous that we, as citizens, sit back and allow our government to kill innocent people in the name of justice. We all could take a hint from Governor Ryan, who declared a moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois, saying, "I don't think an execution will ever happen again while I'm governor - I'd rather err on [the side of safety]."

 Ron Felten -- Senior, English