There is a lot of controversy about whether the death penalty should be legal or not. It is widely used, with only 18 out of the 50 states having abolished it, but should it be permitted, regardless of the popularity of it? The answer is no. It should be abolished because it demeans life, is cruel, prison is a better punishment, and it is not effective.
Steve Earle once said “My objection to the death penalty is based on the idea that this is a democracy, and in a democracy the government is me, and if the government kills somebody then I’m killing somebody.” The death penalty demeans life. It makes life seem like something that can just be thrown away if you do something wrong, when in reality, it is something that should be carefully kept safe and preserved. If the wrongdoer has committed a murder, then with their life continuing, rather than ending, they will receive the opportunity to be able to understand the importance and beauty of life and never murder again. Death is always at least a little painful, there is no way to make it not this way. Because of this, it is considered a cruel, unusual punishment, and therefore, illegal, according to the constitution. Even though all the ways that they kill the condemned-lethal injection, electrocution, firing squad, hanging and gassing-are meant to be as painless as possible, there is no denying the fact that death is still at least somewhat painful, no matter the way you die.