When we are young our parents teach us that two wrongs don’t make it right. So if two wrongs don’t make a right, why do we do just that? The death penalty kills killers, which is doing exactly what they did. Making us just as bad as they are.  Most people know what the death penalty is, but may not know how many different methods there are, or how many botched executions there have been.  The death penalty isn’t cheap either, so why not use an alternative?

There are five different methods to use for the death penalty. The most commonly used is the lethal injection. The Bureau of Justice Statistics says in the United States thirty four states use this as their main method, along with the military, and the national government. The Bureau of Justice Statistics also reported from 1976 until 2011 1,228 people have been killed using this method. This practice is used by administering a lethal dose of drugs, the official website of the death penalty says that the protocol is using three drugs or a large dose of barbiturate. The second most common execution is electrocution. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics this method is legal in eight states, but if the lethal injection fails it is then used in Tennessee. It also states that 158 people have been killed using this practice. What this method does is send a jolt of electricity through you at 500 to 2,000 volts for 30 seconds. If one jolt doesn’t work they will continue until it does work. The other three methods include the gas chamber, hanging, and the firing squad. These methods are all less common. Using these practices all types of things can go wrong. These are supposed to be as human as possible, but how can they be with so many errors.
On April 29th, 2014 Clayton D Lockett was receiving the lethal injection. Professor Michael L. Radelet, from the University of Colorado, says that the chemicals used on Clayton were an experiment. The drugs administered to him were advised not to be used. The professor also says that it took an hour for the executioner to find a suitable vein. Bailey Elise Mcbride and Sean Murphy said “Lockett began breathing heavily, writhing on the gurney, clenching his teeth and straining to lift his head off the pillow.” Forty three minutes later he died of a heart attack. On August 10th, 1982 Frank J Coppola was receiving the death penalty by electrocution. Professor Michael L. Radelet, from the University of Colorado, also reported this case. He said that the attorney present during the execution witnessed Frank’s leg and head catch fire. These were only two of many botched executions. This is not supposed to hurt, but it seems like they are being tortured, which is cruel punishment. Just as abominable as botching an execution is putting an innocent man to death.

Freddie Lee Pitts, a man convicted of murder but was proven innocent after they found out the confessions were given from beatings once said “You can release a man from prison, but you can’t release him from the grave.” Many times an innocent person is put to death because a witness miss saw or lied about what happened. Scott Langley from National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, NCADP, website researched and found that since 1976 150 people have been exonerated, or proven innocent, which is one in ten people. The New York Times has an article on the case of Troy Anthony Davis who was executed on September 21st, 2011. In the beginning of the case nine witnesses claimed to see Davis shoot a police officer. While this case was being decided seven of the nine admitted that they had made a false testimony. A record number of petitions were made to save him, but even after all of the petitions being made and his friend admitting to bringing the gun with, he was still executed. Others cases have happened where the person being executed wasn’t even the murderer. This is using money to kill someone who may not of even committed the crime.

According to the NCADP website using the death penalty is more expensive than other cases. In studies it has shown to be four times more expensive, especially in Kansas from 2004 until 2011. Since 1978 California has spent over four billion dollars on these cases. We could be using the money spent on these cases to go to other resources to prevent crimes. Charles Hamilton from the Institute for Race and Justice at the Harvard Law School researched what resources we could use this money on to improve. A major resource to improve was early childhood prevention. To spend more money on teaching kids at a young age how bad crimes are. Another resource to improve is the mental health services. Charles Hamilton’s study says we need to improve juvenile treatments to prevent crime. Other than using money on improving resources we could save money by using an alternative.
The best alternative to the death penalty is life without parole. The death penalty information center states that it is cheaper for the taxpayers and keeps them off the streets. It also says that “Life Without Parole also allows mistakes to be corrected.” This gives them the chance to think about how wrong their actions were. Other alternatives could be to stop threatening the death penalty for plea bargains. Doing this gives up the defendants speedy and fair trial, because the defendant is afraid of getting a worse punishment. This also scares them into taking responsibility, even if they did not do it. This was also from the death penalties website.

Growing up when my brothers and I fought, our parents wouldn’t let us hit the other one back, because they told us hitting them back won’t make it right. Just like killing someone because they killed someone isn’t right either. We have found other alternatives that keep us safe and ways to help prevent these crimes. Bennie Demps once said “ This is not an execution, it is a murder.”