please give thoughts 3-5 sentences Due to the economic costs and unconstitutiona

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please give thoughts 3-5 sentences

Due to the economic costs and unconstitutionality of the death penalty, it should be abolished in Texas. Though proponents of the death penalty argue that it is due punishment for those who have committed crimes, there are many issues in the system that make the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment. Furthermore, the death penalty has not been shown to deter violent crime, which indicates it is essentially a waste of money. The current system should be changed to reduce violent crime through initiatives such as better mental health treatment.

The primary reason the death penalty should be considered cruel and unusual punishment is the lack of consideration for mental health when determining punishment. Texas is ranked 47th in mental healthcare, but 1st in executions nationally. This statistic highlights one of the main problems in the current system. Those with mental health issues are not receiving proper care, and are more likely to commit violent crimes. Therefore, it would be more beneficial to allocate money to improving mental health facilities rather than on incarceration and capital punishment. Though Atkins v. Virginia ruled it unconstitutional to execute a defendant who is “mentally retarded”, this is vague and does not accommodate the complexity of mental health disorders. Further, research on mental health and mental health diagnoses has evolved greatly since 2002, which limits the effectiveness of the results of Atkins v. Virginia. Especially important to note regarding mental health and crime is the effect prison has on the mentally ill. Research has shown that prison settings are harmful for those with mental health issues, and therapy is less effective in prisons. Finally, mentally ill defendants are less likely to understand their rights and obtain a good lawyer. More focus and funds should be paid to prevention of crimes, and not on antiquated “an eye for an eye” ideology.

The costs of the death penalty outweigh the benefits. As previously mentioned, the research on if the death penalty deters violent crime is inconclusive. Until more concrete evidence is available that shows the benefits of the death penalty, money should not be spent on it. False accusations are another large criticism surrounding the death penalty. Though technology used in trials has improved over time, this technology can be expensive and it not always employed in trials. This, coupled with the pressure on elected officials to convict individuals are factors that contribute to the high rate of incarceration and death row inmates in Texas. If the death penalty is going to be in place, there should be stricter guidelines for convicting those who are accused. There should be no risk of taking the life of an innocent individual. Finally, the economic costs of the death penalty should not be ignored. Death penalty trials are three times more expensive than life in prison. Such large sums of money should not be wasted on a system that is broken when there is the cheaper and arguably more extreme form of punishment of life in prison without parole.

While taking the life of someone is inexcusable, the death penalty in its current form is not the solution to this problem, or an appropriate punishment. Death sentences in Texas have decreased, and should continue to decrease until a more appropriate and research substantiated form of punishment is created. If more clear research were to arise that showed the clear benefits of the death penalty, and stricter regulations on convicting the accused were implemented, it would be reasonable to keep this system. However, until these changes are made, the death penalty should not be kept in Texas.

Explanation / Answer

Capital punishment has been banned in most of the countries in the world. Although punishments keep crimes away, killing someone is not a solution because we are trying to clean the ice on the surface while ignoring the huge iceberg submerged. This is what is going on in the US, especially in Texas. Most of the Americans are stressed out and most of the shooters who killed people so far have been mentally retarded. Killing them will take us back to the uncivilized society with little meaning to the advanced medical facilities along with strong psychotherapy facilities.

So, in my opinion capital punishment need to be abolished considering humanness, the costs and the turmoil of the family members. Instead, the government could look for avenues where they could identify them early, probably right from the schools and offer better counseling and psychotherapy in order to prevent future crimes because prevention is better than cure as cure will cost the government and the society more.

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