A Life for a Life?

The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, is the state-sanctioned execution of a person convicted of a crime, usually murder.

To many, it feels like the ultimate form of justice—a life taken in retribution for a life lost.

To others, it is a grave moral failure, fraught with error, bias, and irreversible harm.

So we ask:

Is the death penalty about justice—or is it simply revenge in disguise?

Moral Justifications

Supporters of capital punishment argue:

• It delivers justice for victims and families

• It deters future crimes through fear

• It ensures that the worst offenders can never harm again

• It reinforces the idea that some acts are beyond forgiveness

They see it as a necessary expression of a society’s moral boundaries.

The Case Against

Opponents respond:

• No conclusive evidence proves the death penalty deters crime more than life imprisonment

• Racial and economic bias plague death penalty cases

• Wrongful convictions happen far too often—sometimes revealed only after execution

• It places the government in the role of taking human life, with all the moral weight that entails

And once carried out, there is no possibility for correction.

Unequal Justice

Statistics reveal:

• People of color, especially Black defendants, are far more likely to receive death sentences—especially when the victim is white

• Poor defendants often receive inadequate legal defense

• Some states use the death penalty frequently; others have abolished it entirely

• Execution rates are not aligned with crime severity, but with location, politics, and race

Wrongful Convictions

Over 190 people in the U.S. have been exonerated from death row since 1973.

They were:

• Convicted with false evidence

• Defended by overworked or underfunded attorneys

• Victims of racial or political bias

Some were freed just days before execution. Others—too late.

Shifting Public Opinion

In recent decades:

• Many countries have abolished the death penalty

• Some U.S. states have followed suit

• Courts and lawmakers debate its morality and effectiveness

• Victims’ families are increasingly divided—some demand executions, others seek restorative justice

The tide is turning—but the death penalty remains active in parts of the U.S.

Thought Questions

• Can the state be trusted with the power to take life?

• Is retribution the same as justice?

• If a system risks killing even one innocent person, can it be justified?

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Lesson 10 – Youth Incarceration: When the System Targets Children