Opinion: Should We Abolish the Death Penalty?

After the death of Brandon Bernard by lethal injection, many are backing the idea of abolishing the death penalty. I agree with it to a certain point. I believe the government should very wisely choose which inmates receive the death penalty. Brandon Bernard though, should not have received capital punishment for a crime that was not all his fault. For those who don’t know who Brandon Bernard was, he was a man on death row who was convicted of 2 counts of capital murder for the kidnapping, robbery, and death of a couple. Brandon Bernard was told by his accomplice to set fire to the couple’s car when they were trapped inside the trunk. If Brandon did not comply and refused to set that car on fire, he would’ve been shot dead on the spot. He most likely was scared, cause he knew he had to make a decision that would decide if he lives or not. Yes, he still committed a crime but to be put to death doesn’t make sense. I would be ok with an arson charge but not to be not capital punishment. 

In the summer of 2018, Chris Watts played the role of a victim after brutally killing his pregnant wife Shannan and two daughters, Bella and Cece. The judges in Chris Watts’s case were hesitant to enforce the death penalty and instead sentenced him to a less serious charge, life. For Brandon Bernard, there was no mercy. I think we as a country should abolish the death penalty because taking another life plus the lives already lost does not solve the problem. It only makes things worse.