Midterm

There are many freedoms that the death penalty violates on all three levels of our legal system. First, the moral issue of capital punishment is very controversial to Americans across the United States. The death penalty is a very serious sentence and could cause some juries to hesitate and even stop the victim of being convicted because of it. The grey area of allowing the criminally accused to be charged for a sentence not as devastating but almost as powerful would help ease the jury into making the right decision. However, between sentences in this instance, the wrong choice could cause a killer to be acquitted. Asking approval to take someone’s life is one of the toughest decisions anyone could ask you for and many people do not want to be the bearer of that burden. And rightfully so. Then, after a victim is sentenced to death, a long line of appeals and court procedures follow, taking many years to carry out. This infringes on the right to a speedy trial, not for the sake of the convict but for the many untouched cases that have yet to be seen. A lot of money time and effort goes into this process, sometimes taking up to 20 plus years. Secondly, because of this grueling process, it costs between 2 to 5 times more to approve and carry out the death sentence then to keep the accused in jail for life. Taxpayers also suffer because they are the ones who forfeit more money to fund the entire process. Also, because death is such a sensitive topic, many natural reactions from sections of the media have been to sympathize with the convict instead of using them as an infamous icon, or a warning for the rest of the nation to steer away from. This deteriorates the message behind the penalties of the institution of imprisonment. The convict should not be ridiculed and subjected to cruel and unusual punishment but in the same respect, the media should not be able to express a reason of concern for him as well. The final solution of the death penalty does not sit well with various groups and if the actions of this arrangement betrays the purpose than we need to think of a way that can properly administer a punishment for the crime while still satisfying the skepticism of the public.