The death penalty has been around for as long as the history books can tell. From the guillotine, firing squad, hangings, and the most modern one, lethal injection. The methods of killing are all different, but the toll it takes on the families remains the same. Families across the United States have been negatively affected by the death penalty, and have had major problems overcoming what has happened to their loved ones. From knowing that they’re going to be put to death, to the death happening, and also what people think about their loved ones all take a serious emotional toll on the families of the convicted.

Firstly, it cost much more to sentence someone to death than it does to sentence them to life in prison. On average it cost over one million dollars for a case with the death penalty, and over $90,000 dollars a year to keep them in prison (Costs of the Death Penalty). Not only do people have to pay more per year out of taxes to keep them in prison, but also cost almost $400,000 more for the court cases and hearings. This is not just bad for the people paying, but also for families. They have to pay several out of pocket fees for lawyers and trying to prove their loved one’s innocence. Depending on how good the lawyer is, how many court cases they have, and how the media looks at the case could make the fees of the accused exponential. If a family is not fortunate to make a substantial amount of money, this could be hard to pay and even harder when they have a family member less salary. With a combination of financial problems and depression it is highly likely that a person will be socially out casted, and feel as if they are alone in the world.

 Some things that the jury should take into account before sentencing someone to death are: is life in prison better than death, how will the innocent families be affected by the death of the loved one, and could that person be innocent. there is a chance that the person convicted will be an innocent man or woman. There have been many cases of people who are put on death row and then found innocent, and some only found innocent after their death. Since 1973, 157 people have been found innocent that were on death row. (Death Penalty Information Center) This only accounts for those who were proven innocent, and is very probable that there are many more that were actually innocent. Not only should this be a factor to putting someone on death row, but also if death is really worse than prison. Some inmates on death row have said that they would rather have death than life in prison. An attorney for a man once stated that, “‘He does not see the death sentence as punishment. He sees it as an escape from punishment’” (Robinson). Inmates sometimes would rather die than spend a life in prison. Many see it as a way out, a way for there to be no more pain. The last thing a jury should ask themselves is, how are the families of the two are going to react and feel about the convicted being put on the road to death. 

When put on death row, most who are convicted will feel guilt for what they have done, and be grieving over what happened. “I have a brother and sister myself and I cannot honestly say how I would deal with it if something happened to you or Jeff at the hands of another. I have thought of Fred many times over the years and grieved over his senseless death.” (Basu). This was a journal of a man on death row, who felt sadness for what he did, and wished he could change the outcome. The convicted are usually not the only ones that feel pain when they are put on death row. Their families and friends also have an immense amount of sorrow for the loved one being sentenced to death. And even though the convicted might die, the pain will go on with that family throughout their lives, and they will never stop loving them. “’We should understand that when we execute somebody, no matter how heinous that person might be, it is over for that person,’ said Warden. ‘But the pain that is inflicted on parents, or siblings, or children, is permanent. It is everlasting. It will be there. It is ongoing’” (Valabrega). The families of the convicted should not have to go through misery just because of what their loved ones have done. The families will always have to carry that pain with them, and are very much a victim.

 There are cases where the loved ones will fight for the convicted person’s life, and try to save them. This may happen because that is the only person they have left, or just because they are family. A case happened where a daughter was fighting for her mom’s life, trying to get the only family member she had left to be able to stay with her longer. The mother was found guilty on killing her husband. The daughter despised her for a long time. She felt as if her mother left her alone, and did not care about her anymore. But, she eventually forgave her, as most people would. Her daughter said, “‘My dad would not want my mom to be executed, even knowing her role in his murder,’ Kayla Gissendaner said in a statement. ‘He would not want us to endure another devastating loss’” (Basu). A loss like this may affect the daughter in many emotional ways, and cause her change her perspective of the world in a negative way. Leaving her with no family members would make her life much harder and make her feel as if she has no one else to be with. But, if there was no death penalty, this would not be a problem. While seeing her mother in prison would still be hard, she could still see her loved one on a regular basis. This case is only one example of how families will fight to keep their loved ones on death row alive. 

An inmates time before his death in jail is also very hard on the family. Knowing that their loved one will be put to death in the future causes great pain and stress. During the time in jail visiting them will be hard, and exhaust the family emotionally. Sharp addresses why it can be hard on the family during their sentence. “Finally, in most cases, non–capital offenders are allowed contact visitation at some point during their incarceration. However, in most juris-dictions, no physical contact is allowed with death row prisoners” (15). Not having any physical contact with the family member and to only see them behind a pane of glass would be devastating. To never be able to make any physical contact with a family member could cause members of the family to feel depressed and miserable. This also can make visitation much harder than it has to be, and reminds them how little time they have left. But, many families with their loved ones on death row can are only able to see their families this way. 

Once the inmate is put to death, the family will have a hard time trying to recuperate from their loss. Many family members will experience depression, agony, and maybe even anger over the convicted one’s death. Going on without their loved one will be hard and Sharp states in her book that, “After the execution, life goes on for the surviving family members. However, trying to find meaning again and let go of the matter that has been the focus of one’s existence for many years is not an easy task for most. The days and weeks immediately following the execution of a relative may be overwhelming”. Families coming from the death of a loved one, are going to be distraught and feel as if they have no one else in the world. Many families see their loved ones as innocent no matter what they do, and they will always love them. And after seeing them pass away it can lead to a variety of things like anxiety or depression.

Many families feel as if when their loved one is convicted and put on death row, that they are being punished as well. Watching their family member die, and knowing that is will happen is very hard to do, and causes a lot of stress. Sharp suggest that many of the families will go through a period in which they isolate themselves from society. This is because they feel as if the crimes their family member has committed is very uncommon. They will feel as if they are alone, and others do not want them around because of what their family member has done. Between this and knowing that someone you love is going to die, the death penalty can feel as if it is a punishment to the entire family and not just an individual.

Not only do the inmate’s families not get anything positive out of the death penalty, but neither does the victim’s family. Several families say they would much rather the inmate spend their life in jail rather than get the death penalty. For some victim’s families, they do not want to seek revenge, and think that no matter what the death penalty is wrong. But other families see it as an easy way for the victim to get out of their sentencing. Sometimes even in the most devastating cases families can still want the accused to not be put to death. Sharon Risher, child of a woman killed by Dylann Roof, is a great example of someone who does not support their loved one’s killer getting the death penalty. “Despite the anger I am still coping with from my mother’s death, I don’t believe in the death penalty, even for the man who killed her. That’s my conviction because of my faith. I’ve said the same thing all along – I don’t believe as human beings that we should take away someone’s life just because we have the power to do so” (Risher). This case was a nationally known case for the horrors that happened at a church. This case truly shows how even families of the victims do not feel as if the convicted deserve death. 

Another case in which the majority of the people think the offender should not receive the death penalty is the Boston Marathon bombing. The majority of the residents of the area do not believe that they deserve the death penalty. In fact, only 15% of them say that the bomber deserves it (Marsh). They do not think he deserves it because they think the death penalty will not bring closure to them. If anything, it will just cause more pain and anger than if he just went to prison. What many people think of as closure is not what happens when a person is sent to their death. Marsh explains this in his article on the Boston Marathon bombing, “‘If they're defining closure as, “This is an end to the trial itself,” then yes, maybe they can find closure,’ she told me. ‘But if they're thinking that closure means, “Oh, my grief is done,” then absolutely not.’ "In some cases, the end of the trial — or even the execution — can make them feel worse," she added, ‘because they've been focused on the trial, and when all that gets moved away, the grief sets in in a different way’". Many people think that some sort of closure will happen once the convicted dies. But instead, not many people and families will only feel more anger and sadness from the memories that it brought back up. No matter what happens, the grief will always stay with them. 

One horrible thing that a family might have to go through is when a procedure gets messed up. While these are very rare, they do happen. Procedures will happen when instead of people dying quickly like they are supposed to, they end up have a very long and painful death. A good example of this was when Joseph Clark had an 87-minute execution. And instead of dying from cardiac arrest, as they are supposed to, he died of suffocation (Crair). When things like this happen, it may be because that people do not have the correct medical history that they should when working in the execution room. Many of the medical professionals who should be working in the rooms cannot. This is because many of the doctors take an oath to do no harm, so they cannot help in killing a person. Watching your family member die is already hard enough. But when you have to watch your family member die a painful, and long death. These botched procedures are hard enough for the general public to watch, but watching their family members in pain is very hard.

Many people might still support the death penalty. They might say that because DNA testing has come so far, it is highly unlikely that someone who did not do it, will get caught. But, several small police departments still do not have DNA testing. And without it, the evidence would be on things like a witness, or other evidence which might not be absolute but still might get them in prison. Another thing that they might say is that the families would want to seek vengeance for what they did, and would want for them to die. But less than 2.5% of families actually feel closure, or feel right after what happened (Marsh). This proves that the death penalty is not right. Neither of the families feel closure and no matter what, an innocent man can still be put on the death penalty.

While the death penalty has been around for a long time, it does not mean that it is the right thing to do. Families from all around the United States have been impacted negatively by the death penalty. Whether it is the side of the convicted or the victim, neither family is positively impacted. Many things can go wrong when the death penalty occurs, and will always cause the family more pain.  Many people think that the death penalty is not deserved even in the most devastating circumstances. While some people might think the death penalty is a good idea, many family members would disagree with you and say that it does nothing but adds to the pain. For these reasons, the death penalty is not justice, and will never be true justice. The death penalty deserves to be banned because of the negative impact it has on society. Almost everyone would hate to see their loved ones pass away, and it should not be any different just because they broke the law. The death penalty does not have any positives to the American society, so it should not be around at all. All it does is bring more despair into the families that are going through it. Many positives would come if instead of the inmates dying, they were rehabilitated and made into a better person.
