The death sentence needs to be banned. Has our society really progressed if we still put people to death over something they’ve done? Criminals or not, this is barbaric and needs to end. There have been times when citizens have been sentenced to the death penalty, and later on proven innocent. This isn’t the way we should be punishing people. There are more humane ways to deal with criminals.

The death penalty is a cruel punishment to be given out. Subjecting criminals to death for their crimes isn’t something people should be doing. Before sentencing, someone with the death penalty much more evidence should be provided as to why this is their punishment. There’s also no guarantee that the lethal injection given to the criminal that’s meant to kill them will be successful. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, “Eyewitness accounts confirm that execution by lethal injection and other means is often an excruciating, painful, and always degrading, process that ends in death.”

Wealthy people who are sentenced are more likely to be let off easy since they can afford private investigators, lawyers, or psychiatrists. Poor people and other minorities are the common criminals sentenced to death. The ACLU states that “Minorities are death-sentenced disproportionate to their numbers in the population.”

Additionally, there’s been no evidence stating that the death penalty is an effective deterrent to prevent crime. When criminals commit murder they don’t give much thought to what their punishment will be, meaning they don’t think or worry about the death sentence. Instead of worrying about what their sentence will be, they kill people because they are affected by drugs, mental health or they do it in the heat of passion. “States that have death penalty laws do not have lower crime rates or murder rates than states without such laws.” ACLU says.

Why is this inhumane practice still happening? With all the research done proving its negative effects, it needs to be stopped. With evidence on how the death penalty doesn’t prevent crimes, we need to decide on other ways to help. Instead, life imprisonment with no chance of parole is a better alternative. That way no more innocent people get sent to their death.