Against the death penalty “Murder is a bad thing” (“Capital Punishment”). This indisputable truth is taught to us since childhood. The death penalty is defined as the act of one human being taking the life of another. Coincidentally, this is a murder classification. Thirty-six states have the death penalty and it is essential that they change it. The United States needs the death penalty abolished because it is flawed, cruel and immoral, and an ineffective deterrent to crime. I understand why you would want the death penalty in place. You probably think it will cost less to execute people than to pay taxes in prison. It is also likely that you think you can give the victims' families closure. On the other hand, it costs more to execute a person than to keep them alive in prison. In comparison, this is just another way of getting revenge and will only create a cycle of hatred. Furthermore, the death penalty is full of flaws. It is possible that the system will convict an innocent citizen. There is no way to undo the mistakes we make. “We're only human, we all make mistakes” (“Capital Punishment”) is a frequently used phrase, but is it as true as anything can be. Therefore, the fact that there is a chance that an innocent person will be sentenced to death should be enough to abolish the death penalty, but it is not enough for our government. Furthermore, according to Amnesty International, “the death penalty legitimizes an irreversible act of violence on the part of the state and will inevitably result in innocent victims.” (“Capital punishment”). In addition, the decision is too final, it does not give the possibility to the condemned to be exonerated, and that... middle of paper ...... the death penalty deters crime more effectively than long sentences from prison. imprisonment. States that have death penalty laws do not have lower crime or murder rates than states that do not have such laws” (“Top Ten”). The death penalty has been around for many years, but it has had no real impact on crime rates. In fact, states with the death penalty have a higher murder rate than those without (“Capital Punishment”). This is concrete proof that our country does not need such horrific punishment to try to stop crime. In conclusion, the death penalty has caused many problems. It has many flaws and requires a lot of work to be considered used. Capital punishment is also cruel and immoral. Additionally, the death penalty is actually a terrible deterrent to crime. This is why we should abolish the death penalty and design better deterrents to crime..