Why I'm Against The Death Penalty

Replying to common arguments in favor of capital punishment

Death is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem. ~ Joseph Stalin

A couple of months back, I put out a note on Substack stating that I was against the death penalty and couldn’t see a reason why it would make any sense to have such a thing in any society at all. The responses came quickly and in large numbers. Some were thoughtful, others were angry—many downright nonsensical. What struck me the most were the persistent falsehoods and tired arguments that people repeated in defense of capital punishment. It was as if the mere suggestion that we should value all life equally was too much for some to stomach.

So, I’d like to take a moment to respond directly to some of the most common and misguided arguments I saw in the comments section.

“It acts as a deterrent”

This is probably the most repeated defense of the death penalty: that it deters people from committing serious crimes. But it simply doesn’t hold up. Study after study has shown that the death penalty is no more effective at deterring crime than life imprisonment. In fact, many countries with lower crime rates don’t use the death penalty at all. If the death penalty were a real deterrent, then states or countries that enforce it would have dramatically lower crime rates—but they don’t. Crime is far more complex than the fear of punishment, especially when many crimes are committed impulsively or under circumstances where deterrence isn't even a factor.

“It’s cheaper to execute someone than to imprison them for life”

This cynical statement may sound practical at first—until you look at the facts. In reality, it is significantly more expensive to carry out a death sentence than to imprison someone for life. Why? Because of the extensive legal processes, appeals, and the heightened costs of death row incarceration. The state ends up spending millions more for an execution than it would to keep someone locked up for decades. But let me be clear: my objection to the death penalty is not about money. Even if it were cheaper to execute, I would still be against it. The question isn’t what saves us money—it’s what upholds our moral principles.

“We must get rid of all bad people in the world”

Violence and state-sponsored killing is righteous and a much needed action if a society is to remain safe, thriving and peaceful! ~ A commenter.

This line of thinking is not only naive and futile, it’s dangerous. The idea that society should “eliminate” bad people sounds disturbingly like eugenics. Who defines who is “bad enough” to be killed? Once we start categorizing human beings as disposable, we cross a line that any sane society should never even approach. No justice system is perfect, and no human being is omniscient enough to determine who is beyond redemption.

“Religious scriptures allow it”

Another argument I encountered was that specific religious texts permit the death penalty. But here’s the thing: religious texts are interpretive. For every verse that might seem to support capital punishment, there’s another that advocates mercy, forgiveness, and the sanctity of life. Scripture has been used throughout history to justify both compassion and cruelty. That tells us more about the interpreter than the text itself.

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Why I'm Personally Against It

My opposition to the death penalty comes down to one fundamental belief: all human life has intrinsic value, no matter what a person has done. Even those who have committed the most heinous crimes are still human beings. If we want to call ourselves a moral society, then we must uphold the principle that every life is sacred—not just the lives of the innocent.

Capital punishment doesn’t allow for redemption or rehabilitation. It doesn’t acknowledge that people can change, even after doing terrible things. It is irreversible, and it assumes a level of certainty and moral authority that no state should wield. At its core, it is state-sanctioned killing—and I don’t believe any government should have that power.

Some commenters insisted that the death penalty is not about revenge at all. But I’m not so sure. I suspect that beneath many of these arguments lies a deep desire for retribution. And what is the death penalty, if not retribution by killing? When we strip away the legal language and the moral justifications, we’re left with the same primal urge: to get even. But justice is not supposed to be about revenge. It's supposed to be better than that.

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Even though global trends are slowly moving away from the death penalty, it’s still with us—in both dictatorships and democracies. Some countries are even embracing it more strongly. That’s deeply troubling. I was very disappointed by what I saw in the comments section of my note, but I remain hopeful that those voices don’t represent the majority. The world is changing, and the arc of justice—while slow—is still bending toward a more humane and principled future.

I’ll keep advocating for that future. One without the death penalty.

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Thank you for reading this article! For more on this issue please support the substack of former prison inmate William Kissinger and his fight to abolish the death penalty.