Mirna Bermudez
Mrs. Lefrancois
American Government
21 October 2018
Death Row and the Psychological Effects
The concepts of death penalty and death row have been topics of controversy ever since they were established. The extreme punishment of death is for those who have broken the law or any standards that are components of them to a certain extreme. There are many disagreements and agreements with this penalty. The death penalty and death row should be abolished as a whole because of their inhumane qualities, the time that people are held on death row is often too long, considered psychological torture, it could be brought onto someone who could not be guilty, and the living conditions on death row are far from what anyone should have to endure.
In today’s society, people have come to the conclusion that in order to prevent crime from happening, one must isolate the perpetrator. Once the perpetrator is now isolated, he or she must be given a punishment that fits the crime they have committed. In the case of the death penalty, the perpetrator is given the punishment of death. To most people, this punishment fits most of the criminals, but the way that they have to be treated until their execution is harsh. According to an called “What’s It Like Living On Death Row” by April A. Taylor, “Unless they're in their cell, […]they always have handcuffs on. Therefore, any approved visitation time is accompanied by being cuffed the entire time.” This quote shows how the inmates that are being held in jails are being treated like animals. Being handcuffed for a long period of time is uncomfortable and no one should have to have to struggle through it. For someone to be put on death row, they must have committed a terrible crime. Therefore this means that the inmate will have security guards watching them at all times. If security is at a maximum, all other inhumane acts that are brought upon the inmates while on death row, are unnecessary. Another cruel quality that is bestowed upon inmates, is the fact that about 60 percent of death row states do not give the right for inmates to access religious services. This is cruel because it was stated by the Supreme Court that prisoners are allowed to have religious rights, since they are just human beings. There are many other things that death row inmates have to go through everyday that resemble inhumane qualities, therefore it should just be eradicated.
Another reason why the death row concept is frowned upon is because inmates are often held too long in there. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, “The years it takes to carry out a death sentence exact a huge toll – on taxpayers, victims’ families, and the prisoners themselves. Yet without thorough appeals, mistakes in death penalty cases would be missed”. This quote shows how not only are the prisoners being affected by their long imprisonment, but also the people around them. Although in most cases most of the people that have to deal with the death penalty are not the best people, they are still human and they do all still have someone who cares for them. Families of the inmates are greatly affected because they are patiently waiting to see whether their loved one are going to get executed. This is especially hard on the families of those who were wrongfully accused. The quote also states that the wait for the decision impacts taxpayers in a greatly manner. Taxpayers are affected by this punishment because money has to be taken out to provide for these inmates while they are being held in prison. The endurance of someone waiting on death row is too long, causing significant problems.
Another problem that many people have concerns with is the psychological effects of death row. There is something called the death row syndrome which consists of the prisoner potentially going insane. In an article called “The Rare Psychological Disorder That Only Affects Death Row Inmates” by Esther Inglis Arkell, she states, “[…]smearing feces on the wall and having psychotic delusions. Other prisoners hold long conversations with themselves. Many attempt suicide. Others simply sleep twenty hours a day.” This quote shows the extremities of syndrome. Many inmates suffer and are being tortured while still waiting to be murdered. Cases have been brought up of prisoners that attempt suicide because they have gone insane and find no purpose in making appeals and waiting for the court to make the decision, so they just end their life on their own. This type of psychological toll should not be brought onto anyone, no matter what they have done.
The idea that the penalty of death could be brought onto someone who is innocent is ridiculous. There have been recent studies made to support wrongful convictions. According to David Von Drehle in his article “More Innocent People on Death Row Than Estimated: Study”, “approximately 120 of the roughly 3,000 inmates on death row in America might not be guilty.” This quote shows that many people have been wrongfully accused and had to suffer through the long, torturous process of being held in death row for no reason. The article continues to talk about that after they discover the inmate is innocent, he or she still has to serve time in prison, but reduced time. This is unfair. If a punishment as extreme as death is going to exist, there needs to be a system where an innocent person will not have to go through the same things as a guilty person would.
Finally, death row’s living conditions are very unpleasant. Of course prison is not the best place to live in, but one would expect it to be adequate. In an article titled “My Life On Death Row” by a past inmate named Wilbert Rideau, he states, “Restlessness went with living in such a small space. There was room enough only for push-ups, sit-ups, and squats, insufficient to exercise all the body's muscles.” In this article he not only talks about his wrongful conviction, but the awful living conditions he had to endure for years. There are many other people like him that have to undergo through those harsh conditions. The inmates are not allowed to go outside, they are only allowed one hour out of their cell per day, and during the week they go out maybe once or twice only to shower. Their cell is about the size of a small bathroom. They are basically treated like caged animals, and that is no way to treat any human being. It certainly raises many questions about how far our punishment could go.
In conclusion, the death row has many psychological effects that many would consider torture. This is considered to be true because of the inhumane qualities it holds,the time that people are held on death row is too long, it is considered psychological torture, it could be brought onto someone who could not be guilty, and the living conditions on death row are far from what anyone should have to endure.
Works Cited
Arkell, Esther Inglis. “The Rare Psychological Disorder That Only Affects Death Row Inmates.” io9. io9. 16 December 2015. 23 October 2018. Web
Drehle, David Von. “US Death Penalty Wrongful Convictions Executions.” Time, Time, 28 April 2014. 23 October 2018. Web.
Rideau, Wilbert. “My Life on Death Row.” Progressive.org, Progressive, 7 April 2011. 23 October 2018. Web.
Taylor, April A. “What's It Like Living On Death Row?”. Ranker. 23 October 2018. Web.
“Time On Death Row.” Death Penalty Information Center. Death Penalty Information Center. 23 October 2018. Web.