A statewide group is working to abolish capital punishment and replace it with a more equitable justice system. They call themselves the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. They claim to support fair options that facilitate recovery and boost community security. Family members of murder victims, those now on or formerly associated with death row, and their relatives are prominently featured. North Carolinians who feel similarly about the death sentence banded together to establish the Coalition. After numerous death row inmates were found innocent in the 1990s and early 2000s, it became more vocal about its beliefs. However, their sentiments do not outweigh the fact that the death penalty should be upheld because it is a more effective way of punishing crime than imprisonment and other proposed forms of punishment.
Only the most terrible of offenses, including murder, warrant the ultimate punishment of death. A person’s human rights, such as the right to life, are forfeited when they kill another person (Exum Jr, 2020). To what end can a murderer be permitted to spend the remainder of their life being cared for by the public when they might easily be put to death themselves? It is a farce of justice to keep clothing, housing, and feeding them for the rest of their natural lives on the backs of taxpayers. When they murdered someone, they forfeited their right to live, and the only way to ensure justice was by their legal execution.
Capital punishment prevents unnecessary deaths. If potential killers believe they could die in the process, they are far more likely to think twice about carrying it through. Only the very maximum penalty can deter the most heinous of offenses. To take an innocent life is to risk your own, so until then, it will be unclear if the good people are serious (Robinson, 2021). Moreover, the list of capital offenses and the criteria for their application has narrowed significantly. Even the methods used to put people to death have evolved throughout time. We have used execution methods such as injection, electric chair, firing squads, gassing, and hanging. It’s worth noting that execution moratoriums in numerous states are in place because the efficacy of a new method of execution is being studied. Those who believe the death sentence is cruel or outdated might take comfort in this.
The death penalty is the only surefire to bring peace of mind to the surviving members of a victim’s family. While not all relatives of murder victims advocate for the death penalty, many have found that seeing the executions of the perpetrator has helped them find some measure of peace (Barry, 2019). These families can put the tragedy behind them and continue with their lives, secure in the knowledge that the person responsible for the loss of their loved one will never again be free or live in prison.
In conclusion, the sentiments of the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty do not outweigh the fact death penalty should be upheld because it is a more effective way of punishing crime than imprisonment and other proposed forms of punishing crime. Only the most terrible of offenses, including murder, warrant the ultimate punishment of death. Further, capital punishment prevents unnecessary deaths and is the only surefire means to bring peace of mind to the surviving members of a victim’s family.
References
Barry, K. M. (2019). The Death Penalty and the Fundamental Right to Life. BCL Rev., 60, 1545.
Exum Jr, J. G. (2020). Capital Punishment in North Carolina: A Justice’s View on Why We Can” No Longer Tinker with the Machinery of Death”. NCL Rev. F., 99, 1.
Robinson, M. (2021). The Death Penalty in North Carolina, https://gjs.appstate.edu/sites/default/files/asu_profile_files/nc_death_penalty_2021_by_dr_matthew_robinson_final.pdf
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