The death penalty inherently violates the constitutional ban the United States put in place to protect against cruel and unusual punishments. We are guaranteed as citizens of the United States to due process and the right to a fair trial. The problem is many citizens sentenced to the death penalty really should not be. In my honest opinion, the death penalty should be illegal because it would be preferably better to have the people who deserve it to rot in jail for the rest of their lives.

The first ever execution or use of the death penalty in the United States was in 1608 in the Jamestown colony of Virginia. While execution has been in our history since then, people may be lenient or reticent to change history but currently this change in history is very necessary.

Since 1978, there have been 1448 executions in the United States. In addition there have been 157 death row exonerations (people found innocent before receiving the death penalty). That amounts to approximately about 10% of the inmates receiving the sentence. It is highly likely that more than just those 157 citizens were innocent of the crimes for which they were convicted. They just weren't given enough time to fight their case, so these so called “criminals” were sentenced to death to quickly and there lives were taken from them.

You may not see the problem in allowing it, allowing citizens to be killed via the death penalty. I believe there are many more constitutional, affordable and overall better solutions for the penalty. This includes jail, solitary confinement, and many other options

The average cost of one death penalty case is $2,400,000. Comparing that to an average lifetime in jail which costs about $2,000,000. That’s $400,000 of taxpayers money that could be spent on more useful thing like to our war efforts, new government and societal improvements, lowering citizens taxes, and to the national protection of our country.

Do you really think that it's necessary to kill someone and let them rid their suffering rather than to make them suffer in jail for the rest of their life?

According to Amnesty International more than two thirds of countries across the world have already eliminated use of the death penalty, that statistic includes the countries Canada and Mexico, our neighbors. It also includes almost all of Europe which has already rid the death penalty across their continent. Most, countries which maintain use of the death penalty are involved in wars throughout their country or their country is very small and the penalty is hardly ever needed for use.

Jurors across our country today have been voicing for change. The majority of states in the union haven't issued a citizen to death in years. Four states in the United States carried out 93% of the executions in 2016. Those states were Texas, Missouri, Georgia, and Florida. Within these states there are only a few counties which have ever issued the penalty. This small pool of jurors who issue the penalty are the only ones in the country who think that is the correct punishment, but the larger majority of the citizens and the jurors in the country think differently based off of polls conducted by procon.org.

To the small group of the country who is for the penalty, I ask why? They may say that the penalty is a proper punishment for a murderer. They may say “eye for an eye.” But this idea is forcefully wrong because the greater opinion of citizens is that if they were in this situation, they would rather receive the death penalty then life in prison. Living a full lifetime in prison is pure torture and pain. This torture and pain is much worse than the torture and pain of the death penalty.

As ideas change as our country ages many people are starting to lean against the death penalty. We need change and we need these citizens to speak out. Stage protests, write letters to the government, encourage others to join this movement. Change is needed and it starts with you today. Our government is based off the idea of freedoms and one of the main freedoms being freedom of speech, and freedom to protest. Use these freedoms to the best of your ability to make your voice heard.