Detroit seems to be living up to its nickname of “Murder City” after the 35 homicides in January alone. Because of this, more than 50 percent of Michigan’s residents would like the 158-year ban on Capital Punishment done away with.
But the death penalty has been not only ineffective at lowering the crime rate, it has been costly and highly contradictory to the Constitution. It hasn’t done anything more than promote more violence. In fact, the states that have had the death penalty have also had a higher crime rate. For a city already known as “Murder City,” adopting an amendment that could increase the crime rate wouldn’t be the smartest idea.
Michigan residents have fought for capital punishment to be put on the ballot for Michigan voters, but it needs a two-thirds majority vote in the House and state Senate to go before voters and thankfully it lacked the needed 18 votes last month.
But unfortunately there is still a chance that the death penalty will appear on a ballot because the father of Mathew Bowens, a slain police officer, will be leading a petition drive to get the 300,000 plus signatures needed to put the issue in front of voters. Since this will take not only time, but also a substantial amount of money, it’s unlikely to happen for this year’s elections. The point is, though, there is a possibility that it could happen.
The death penalty is cruel, which goes against our U.S. Constitution’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment. Cutting the hand off of a thief is a punishment strategy used in some barbaric Third World countries, but the U.S. objects to maiming as a punishment because we are not a barbaric society. Yet we agreed to the electric chair, which viciously kills a person.
Not only is the death penalty cruel, it’s expensive. It typically involves more court costs than a life sentence. A state that is in debt cannot afford to spend a whopping $2.2 million per execution to cover the appeal costs for every sad individual who decides to commit a first-degree murder. Spending life in prison costs less than half that amount, according to The Seattle Times.
The Death Penalty is no good. If it ever makes it to the ballot in Michigan, do the right thing and vote “no.”