Arguments Against Death Penalty

No credible evidence

There is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than
long terms of imprisonment. States that have death penalty laws do not have lower
crime rates or murder rates than states without such laws. And states that have
abolished capital punishment show no significant changes in either crime or murder
rates. The death penalty has no deterrent effect. Claims that each execution deters a
certain number of murders have been thoroughly discredited by social science research.

Flaws and Insufficiency in the Justice System.

Almost all defendants who face capital charges cannot afford an attorney and rely on the
state to appoint one for them. However, often times appointed attorneys are
overworked, underpaid, lack critical resources, and are either incompetent or
inexperienced. As a result when death sentences are set aside by the federal courts, it is
often because among other reasons the trial attorney was so incompetent that the
accused's constitutional right to effective counsel was violated.

The truth is that most lawyers never appear in courtroom trials. They may do research,
write legal opinions, prepare legal documents, teach law, become judges, or run for
public officewithout having had any chance to actually argue a case in court. Yet, for
lawyers and non-lawyers alike, the epitome of legal performance is the cross-
examination. This is where courtroom legends are made, where the warriors of law are
set apart from the armchair advocates. Lawyers know who these individuals are, for they
are both feared and admired. Indeed, we all become lawyers when we see them in
action, oozing with wit and erudition, passion and compassion.

40,000 Lawyers not all in practice of the law.

102 MILLION PH POPULATION = 40,000 LAWYERS not all in practice of the law.

2550 people per lawyer.

Poor quality defense leaves many sentenced to death.

One of the most frequent causes of reversals in death penalty cases is ineffective
assistance of counsel. A study at Columbia University found that 68% of all death penalty
cases were reversed on appeal, with inadequate defense as one of the main reasons
requiring reversal.

Capital punishment does not deter crime.

Scientific studies have consistently failed to demonstrate that executions deter people
from committing crime.

Because we have a flawed criminal justice system which does not guarantee that it is the
guilty one who is convicted and the innocent one is freed.

When a person is convicted and is punished by Death Penalty, it cannot be reversed.

an imperfect judicial system many persons convicted and could be put on death row are
innocent. The conviction of the innocent happens in our country not only because of
positive efforts of unjust parties to find someone they hate guilty, and not only because
some fiscals or judges are incompetent or corrupt. It happens also because of the noble
desire of dirt-poor fathers to earn what they think is big money they can leave their
families. They own up to murders rich men have committed and what they are paid, a
big sum in their poverty-stricken circumstances, is not even half the value of the oldest
car the rich murderer owns.

Alternatives

If the state pays more attention to poverty, education, labor and welfare of human
beings there would be less crimes. There would be no need to try scaring criminals into
behaving well with the threat of being put to death by the government.

Joker Arroyo Argument

There is no conclusive evidence and statistics have satisfactorily proved that executing
criminals deters other criminals. Statistics show that most violent and fatal crimes are
committed by persons in a state of irrationality. In other words the criminal is not in his
right mind. Therefore, he or she cannot be logically or morally be held accountable for
his crime.

The primary thing they should do is to arrest the criminal first. Not immediate
punishment. Death penalty is meant only to scare. It will not deter criminality. So it has
no effect, he said.

Alternative

Focus on the improvement of the judicial system

Death penalty is only being pursued out of a desire for retribution.

Capital punishment does not appear to be doing its job; statistics provides that it doesnt
seem to be changing every criminals mind about killing innocent people. If it does not
dissuade, then it serves no purpose. The warning of life in prison without parole must
equally dissuade criminals.

It is strange that a nation would denounce the practice of murder by committing the very
same act. By doing so, were essentially championing the right to life by taking it from
others. Trueas a whole, we are not murderers, and understandably refuse to be placed
in the same category

A more harsh punishment would be incarcerating a prisnoer for twenty-three hours per
day in a tiny concrete cell, with one hour of daily exercise in an empty concrete
swimming pool; he has no access to other inmates, and only rare contact with guards,
who say nothing to him; he can see nothing of the outside world except a tiny sliver of
skyand his will be his life. Capital punishment is an unnecessary threat.

Wrongs don't make right.

Death would be too sweet of a medicine for Murderers for not suffering the
consequences of their acts.

Quotations

Many people believe that retribution is morally flawed and problematic in concept and
practice.

"We cannot teach that killing is wrong by killing."

U.S. Catholic Conference

"To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, it is not justice."

Attributed to Archbishop Desmond Tutu