Speaking Out Against Torturous Punishments - Essay Example

As it is carried out by untrained prison staff without the presence of the doctor, it is not always carried out effectively. Sometimes, the concoction, instead of taking the condemned to a state of unconsciousness, merely paralyzes them, with the person dying feeling the excruciating pain of their heart-stopping, but unable to speak out because of their paralysis. If this is not torture, what is? We as a nation are firmly against torture, therefore, it is surprising that we are silent about the torture of our people.

The state-sponsored murder, as some people refer to capital punishment, leaves the door open for punishing the mentally disabled for their crimes. The recent case of Theresa Lewis’ execution in Virginia is a testament to that. Not only was the woman borderline retarded, with an IQ of about 71, what is more, she was not even the one who carried out the killing. However, as the option of capital punishment was available, she was put to death. This is not in line with the ethics that we hold dear, and we should speak out against it.

This is just talking about those who are, indeed, guilty. What about the case of people who are convicted wrongfully? Our criminal justice system is not perfect. There are many flaws and often emotions involved in the case end up causing a bias. The police, if under pressure, have been known to look for scapegoats to protect their reputations. Consequently, someone innocent may not only be charged, but convicted of the crime as well. There have been many cases where evidence emerging, later on, proved that the conviction was wrongful. It is one thing to take someone’s freedom wrongfully, and quite another to take his or her life. The former is a travesty of justice too, however, a man wrongfully sent to prison can be set free. Can those mistakenly executed by the State have their lives back?

Moreover, the lengthy appeal process that goes hand in hand with a sentence of death incurs a lot of expense on the exchequer. Millions of tax dollars, that you and I pay, are spent in the appealing and re-appealing process. A sentence of life imprisonment can save the public exchequer money, as it does not involve such a lengthy appeal procedure.

Though those who favor the death penalty talk about the deterrent effect of capital punishment, research shows that such a view is oversimplified. There is no way that only one factor affects the rate of crime in any community. Various social and economic factors go along with a society’s rate of murder, and the death penalty is not one of them. What is more, countries, where the death penalty has been abolished, have lower crime rates than those States of our country where it is still practiced. Ask any of those supporters if they are willing to condemn a person to death by serving on a death-penalty jury, and I am sure you will see reluctance as well as unwillingness.

Ours is the only Western nation, and other than Japan, the only developed country to allow and implement such a barbaric punishment. The European Union law has completely abolished the death penalty, and it is a shame that though we as a nation uphold ideals based on human ideals and human rights, allow a cruel and unusual way to punish our own. That we allow this barbarity to be done on a State level is a slight to our civilization.

All of us should unite in speaking out against this torturous punishment. We should write to our Congressman or Congresswoman and ask them to abolish this punishment. What is more, we should join anti-capital punishment groups, or form such groups, and make sure that our voice is heard not only in our State but in other States as well where this barbaric punishment is meted out to our folk. As citizens of a democratic country, the power is in our hands, and we should utilize it for the good.