Capital Punishment

Can you truly be pro-life if you support capital punishment?

The prison industry has become one of the largest industries to date. Some of the concerns regarding capital punishment is the fact that throughout history, capital punishment has appeared to be racist. Majority of people on death row were black at one time. Although most capital punishment worthy crimes are committed by women, most of the people on death row are men.

An argument for capital punishment is that it is a deterrent for other criminals. However, over 3,000 people are on death row. I believe it was either in 2005 or 2004 that 60 people were executed. At this rate, it would take over a decade to execute everyone, even if we didn't add any more people. If the death penalty is really a deterrent, then why are there so many people on death row.

Maybe we focus too much on punishment rather than rehabilitation. We spend so much money on appeals and on supporting those who are incarcerated instead of focusing on helping these people. Often times, people on death row have been in and out of jail since they were teenagers. Kids in juvenille detention should not be simply brushed off as rebellious kids. We should help these kids, who usually have behavioral, emotional, or mental problems. I think rehabilitating these kids can help prevent them from becoming criminal adults.

I don't think it's possible to truly be pro-life if you are pro the death penalty.