In 1981, Ricky Ray Rector asked the prison guards not to remove the dishes from his last supper, because he would want his dessert when he returned. Not comprehending the full extent of his punishment, Ricky was executed by lethal injection. Would you execute a convict who cannot establish the difference between reality and fantasy? We all want to be treated equally—despite our unique essence—so we migrate to a land that provokes monotonous justice. We leave behind “an eye for an eye” judicial system, only to find exceptions made toward minorities when it comes to the same crimes. Due to the discrepancies between written laws and its actions; and an opinionated declaration of the afterlife; capital punishment should be illegal in United States. 

It should be unacceptable that while the law states otherwise, its actions are carried out differently. The Eighth Amendment states that cruel and unusual punishments should not be inflicted. Its definition is clear, but its connotation allows each state to define its own level of “cruelty”. No burning, no stoning, no gas, no minor, no retarded, why are criminals classified for the same crime committed? Capital punishment is in fact killing an individual—regardless of their malicious deeds. Is it not hypocrisy to possess a method that is: you murder him; therefore we are going to murder you? Some crimes committed are so inhumane that our first emotion is rage and disgust that this monster is still allowed to live. “The death penalty, in other words, is predicated on the idea that the primary goal of justice is revenge. But revenge is not law; it is derived from emotion rather than principle, and justice is by definition a principle blind to emotion” (Manville). The fear that a convict will commit the same crime again once out on parole (which was proved in some cases) is the main reason why capital punishment still has voters. The solution is: no parole. If one is sentenced for life, life is neither 10 years nor is it 20 years, life is until one dies. Life without parole, education, or special treatments is the answer not only in making sure that the wrong individual convicted is not mistakenly murdered, but also the criminal is not released to harm again.

The concept that a criminal should be killed to suffer is based on an opinionated belief that life after death would in fact offer them the punishment they rightly deserve. 

If one of the purposes of punishment is to punish wrongdoing individuals, where is the punishment in permanently removing them? Sure they won’t be slaughtering again, but where is the justice in that? Not every American believes in the afterlife, and if America’s first amendment is freedom of religion, why is only one belief being practice? No qualms that certain people deserved to be permanently removed—but it is not up to them to play ‘God’. Life is not theirs to give nor is it theirs to take—because that’s exactly what criminals are doing. Capital punishment supporters say it’s for the best, by killing one, they’ll be saving five, that ‘the end justifies the means’. If this is the case than half of its population should be either locked up or killed, no exceptions!

A country that states and carries and bases some of its laws on opinions rather than facts need to revise its governmental structure. Crimes should neither be excusable nor go unpunished. If the same crime is committed, then the punishment needs to be the same throughout each state. Capital punishment is ineffective because life after death is unknown and criminals are not afraid of dying, otherwise the rates would decrease. Crimes will always surround us since it has been doing so before Christ. The money used for death row criminals needs to be spent educating prospects criminals about moral conduct. Convicts’ sentences for life need to mentally and socially suffer for ‘life’ living with the knowledge that they took another life—now that’s punishment. Nothing sinks better into the depth of darkness in our mind than guilt and regret.