DEATH PENALTY DOES NOT CURB CRIMES

Numerous debates have been made regarding the death penalty, as opinions on this topic differ
around the world. More than 70% of the world’s countries have abolished this capital punishment in law
or practice. However, the death penalty still exists in many parts worldwide especially those who are led
by an authoritarian. In Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte recently renews his call to push the
reimposition of this capital punishment for drug offenders as a part of a “drug war” that has claimed
thousands of lives. Its effectiveness can be gauged by rates of crimes that demonstrate that this method of
punishment does not reduce the number of criminal acts.

The main reason that death penalty is imposed is due to the existing belief that when a
punishment introduces severity, it decreases the numbers of abhorrent crimes. However, statistics show
that it doesn’t have as many beneficial effects as expected. In fact, a survey conducted by the New York
times found that states (in America) without the death penalty have lower homicide rates than sates with
the death penalty. If it was effective for the prevention and the decrease of crime, the survey would’ve
shown otherwise. Today, capital punishment most likely has other goals: revenge. In this sense, it violates
human rights, which is why a growing number of people bucked this type of punishment; and it wouldn’t
help comfort the victims’ families.

Many other countries fail to see compelling evidence on the link between death penalty and the
prevention of criminal acts. Deterrence is the most commonly expressed rationale with the theory that the
threat of being executed in the future will be enough to cause a number of people to refrain from
committing a heinous crime they had otherwise planned. However, many crimes are done on the spur-of-
the moment, leaving little opportunity to think about the possible consequences of their acts.

One of the numerous disadvantages of death penalty is the fact that there is always a possibility
that an innocent person is wrongfully executed. Based from the data back in 2017, 137 prison inmates
were released because of their innocence. According to a news dated back in 2014, 4% of people
executed are innocent.

Death penalty has long come under scrutiny for it being infected with racism and discrimination.
Study after study has found serious racial disparities in the charging, sentencing, and imposition of the
death penalty; implying a bias towards white-victim cases and blacks having the greater chance of
receiving the sentence by killing whites than otherwise.

Furthermore, it is not only a racist method, but an anti-poor tactic as well, as what is applied in
the Philippines before. Poor inmates were more likely to be sentenced to death, as evidenced by Free
Legal Assistance Group (FLAG)’s survey showing 79% of death row inmates didn’t reach college & 63%
were ex- employees in blue-collar work in agriculture, transport, and construction sectors, than rich
inmates. This is because those who are financially fortunate have much more resources to aggressively
defend themselves in course vs the poor ones.

Today, poor citizens, significant number of mentally disabled, a chief group of African American,
and a disproportionate number of Native American, Latino, and Asian comprise the 3,350 people that are
on death row today.

It is with great confidence to say how death penalty is the most grueling type of criminal
punishment, and yet couldn’t do anything great to deter crimes that the world still continues to grapple.
Who gets this type of sentence is largely determined, not by the severity of crime, but by: the race, sex,
and the economic class of prisoner and victim- proving itself to be a vehicle for “selective justice.” It
would be possible to say that it is effective had the statistics shown a decrease of criminal acts while it is
implemented. However, its disadvantages on people outweigh the potential positive effect this could
provide. Therefore, it is essential that death penalty must be abolished.