By not yet abolishing the death penalty, America has classified itself with nations known to have a blatant disregard for human rights, including Iran, Iraq and China. Any country that employs the capital punishment risks putting innocent people to death. In Illinois, since the death penalty was re-instituted in 1976, eight people on death row have been found wrongfully convicted. If imprisoned for life, a person later found to be innocent may be freed. Once executed, however, no possibility for a sentence reversal exists.
Error is inevitable, and executions are irreversible.
One argument for the death penalty is that it is justice for the families of the victims. It is unfathomable that killing someone is able to be seen as justice. Another flawed view of capital punishment is that it is cheaper than life imprisonment. The exorbitant cost is mainly due to the number of appeals each death row inmate receives, but they are the defendants' only protections against gross miscarriages of justice. The death penalty burdens the system of criminal justice, and is therefore counterproductive as an instrument for society' s control of violent crime.