When one fights fire with fire, the flame only grows stronger. In the same way, when one fights crimes such as first degree murder with more killing, the consequences can only become worse. The death penalty is the punishment for the most severe crimes such as homicide and is active in 46 states in America. The death penalty is unjust because the judicial system is influenced by biased people, therefore distorting sound judgement, and is so final that it leaves no room to fix any errors made in the processes.
     

Many people have noticed a pattern in the specific people on the death row and also agree that the penalty should be discontinued. The killing of another for his or her crimes needs to end because of the existence of racial and economic biases in the court and trials. It’s a strong and common opinion that America’s criminal justice system “treats [one] better if [one is] rich and guilty than if [one is] poor and innocent” (Stevenson). Also, there is an overwhelming presence of racial minorities as they “[constitute] 56% of the 3,220 people on death row” (Samarth). Proving the privileges of the white and wealthy, these facts depict how humans are not fit to decided the fate of a person’s life. Life is so precious and the presence of one in a person does not deserve to be decided upon by people so easily influenced by status and race.
     

The death penalty is also unjust because a mistake in the process is irrevocable. Statistics show that “87 people have been freed from death row because they were later proven innocent” showing an “error rate of 1 innocent person for every 7 persons executed” (Feingold). Although no judiciary system is perfect, killing an innocent person is not just in any context. An individual needs to know that in America, one is safe because people receive the correct punishment they deserve. With finality of death accompanied by the errors that humans often make, it becomes harder for one to be sure that true justice is being served. After the death penalty is executed, there is no going back, no matter how innocent a person was. The penalty should end in order to  decrease permanent mistakes in court.
     

With all this in mind, some people still consider that a life in prison rather than death is more expensive and economically hurts the people. This common belief is actually false in that the process of a death penalty case takes far more people, supplies, time, and money. With the death penalty comes “[m]ore pre-trial time, [m]ore experts, [t]wice as many attorneys, [t]wo trials instead of one… one for guilt and one for punishment, [a]nd then... a series of appeals during which the inmates are held in the high security of death row “ (Dieter). Ultimately, the death penalty “adds about $1,000,000 in costs over the duration of a case” (Roman). Although it does cost money to care for a person in prison, cases with the possibility of the death penalty also cost great amounts in addition to the costs of normal trials, if even more that a life in jail.
     

Therefore, the death penalty should be discontinued because of the existence of biases and the finality in even wrong decisions. It can tear families apart, establish one race superior to another, and have innocent men die. Because of it’s obvious and harmful effects, one should support the end of the death penalty by voting for representatives that have the same views and voicing one’s opinion against this traumatic punishment.

Bibliography

Dieter, Richard C. "Top 10 Pros and Cons - Death Penalty     ProCon.org."ProConorg Headlines. N.p., 7 Feb. 2007. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.

Feingold, Russ. "Top 10 Pros and Cons - Death Penalty - ProCon.org."ProConorg Headlines.
N.p., 26 Apr. 2000. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.

Roman, John. "Does the Death Penalty Cost Less Than Life in Prison without Parole? - Death
Penalty - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., 15 Dec. 2009. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.

Samarth, Avinash. "The U.S. Death Penalty - An International Human Rights Wrong?"
American Civil Liberties Union. N.p., 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.

Stevenson, Bryan. "Top 10 Pros and Cons - Death Penalty - ProCon.org."ProConorg
Headlines. N.p., 2004. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.