On December 19, 2014 the Bureau of Justice Statistics released its annual report on capital punishment, also known as the death penalty. This information is for capital punishment in 2013. Surprisingly, only sixteen percent of people sentenced to death were actually executed. If only sixteen percent of people are actually executed, then I think the death penalty is a waste of time. On top of that, average time from sentencing to execution was fifteen and a half years.
In an editorial from Journalstar.com posted on January 29, 2012, states, “Even if the system worked without flaw in a particular case, there can be no guarantee that it will work that way every time. And if the system cannot work without error – as the facts show – then the death penalty cannot be justified. Sooner or later, an innocent person will die at the hands of Nebraska.” In other words, the editorial believes that if Nebraska’s death penalty isn’t outlawed then Nebraska will end up executing someone that wasn’t responsible for the crime. I think that they should outlaw the death penalty because I think that people deserve another chance and there is always a possibility of executing an innocent person no matter how much evidence there is.
In Paris Carriger, a death row inmate’s, view, “My mind tells me that the system has no intention of honoring all their fine speeches about truth, justice, and the American way. I am expendable in their eyes and they have gone to a lot of trouble to make sure I understood it.” Carriger is insisting that the death penalty system is cruel beyond comprehension. Would you want to be on death row and be treated like him? He knows that he didn’t do the crime and another person even confessed. Yet Carriger didn’t even get freed and much less a new trial. I think that this is a horrible case of what the death penalty can be doing to a person, especially since someone admitted to framing him and committing the crime.
According to the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops), “No matter how heinous the crime, if society can protect itself without ending a human life, it should do so.” USCCB is insisting that if we can put someone into prison for life without parole we should do it, instead of killing them. I agree with this statement because the criminals might deserve to die they should be put behind bars and not be put to death.
The death penalty in the doctrine of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and the Roman Catholic Church is that it is wrong. Hinduism opposes killing, violence, and revenge. It advocates the principle of ahisma (non-violence). Buddhism places great emphasis on non-violence and compassion for all life. Judaism believes that each life is unique and sacred. The Roman Catholic Church is associated with USCCB and believes that each human has dignity.
In the USCCB’s view, “When Cain killed Abel, God did not end Cain’s life. Instead he sent Cain into exile, not only sparing his life but protecting it by putting a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him on sight.” The essence of USCCB’s argument is that we shouldn’t end one’s life. Even God doesn’t end someone’s life if he commits  murder. We don’t have the right to kill someone. We as humans are brothers and sisters to each other. We shouldn’t kill our brother or sister. God didn’t put us on this Earth so we could put someone to death. Only God has the right to take lives, not us.
More than half of the states in America practice the death penalty. The states with the death penalty are: 
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming, the United States Government, and the United States Military. I think that these states should forbid the death penalty. I understand that the US Military has the death penalty so they can execute people who commit treason. I urge the US Military and the US Government.

Holsey’s current attorney, Brian Kammer, states, “The home where Holsey lived in Milledgeville was known to the neighbors as the torture chamber because of the way they observed his mother treat him, which was beat him merciless.” Kammer insists that he receive life in prison without parole because his crime was connected to his severe child abuse and his IQ is seventy. I think that Holsey should have life in prison because his life has been hard while his mother treated him horribly and he didn’t know what to do since he didn’t have a mother to guide him.
Andrew Brannan’s attorney, Joe Loveland, states, “There was a direct connection between his service in Vietnam and the violence he was exposed to there and the ultimate events that occurred. The basic question really is, should a sixty-six-year-old Vietnam War Veteran with no prior criminal record and who was one-hundred percent disabled under DA standards, both with PTSD ( post-traumatic stress disorder )  and bi-polar disorder, at the time of the murder of the deputy-sheriff – should that person be executed?” In other words Loveland believes that a person who served for our country shouldn’t be executed especially since he is disabled under the DA. I think that Brannan shouldn’t be executed because the war he served in for us cause his mental illness and murder.
It seems that every death penalty case involves a certain mental illness. Take Andrew Brannan as an example. He had PTSD and bi-polar disorder and his actions were connected to a war he served in. I think it is outrageous to execute someone who is mentally retarded. We are putting them out of their misery. Maybe the next time you see someone like that you will wonder how it will feel like to be them, to not realize your actions and die for them.
The death penalty needs to be reformed. Americans need a healthier and cheaper alternative to killing someone, such as life in prison without parole. Do we want to execute an innocent person and lose a lot of tax dollars for every death penalty case?