I consider capital punishment murder.

In 1977 the US Supreme Court reaffirmed the death penalty ruling as constitutional, saying that cruel and unusual does not apply to capital punishment.  Since 1977, 1480 people have been executed in the United States. Federal executions are extremely rare, with 50 since 1927, 2 in 2001 and 1 in 2003, but 13 in the last 6 months, what the … is going on?

Argument against the death penalty:

1. It comes with unclear constitutionality in the United States.
In 1977 the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty does not violate the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Because of the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause, the Eighth Amendment applies against the states, as well as the federal government. There is unreliability in the systems that are used to put prisoners to death and there are delays that can last for 20 years or more before executing a prisoner.

2. It requires one person to kill another person.

3. It does not have a positive impact on homicide rates.
DOJ reports from 2011 and 2014 show that statistics on crimes show that when the death penalty is abolished, and replaced with a guaranteed life in prison, there are fewer violent acts committed.

4. It creates a revenge factor, which may not best serve justice.
It implements only one form of justice. The justification by religious people cherry picks from holy books.  For example: in the Bible Jesus says eye for an eye but also turn the other cheek, also murder is a sin. In the Quran Muhammad says that execution is an acceptable but heavy punishment is not applicable for those who repent their crime. Basically, those who agree in capital punishment are giving their personal beliefs with no real justification.

It can be seen to create the framework for allowing for an eye for an eye, rather than taking a morally higher ground. It cannot be assumed that something that is legal is necessarily morally correct.

5. It costs more to implement the death penalty.
The average case brought to trial which involves the death penalty costs taxpayers $1.26 million (counted through to execution). Cases that are taken to a jury which do not involve capital punishment cost an average of $740,000 (counted through to the end of incarceration).

6. It comes with a risk that an innocent person could be executed.
A study by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences determined that at least 4% of the people that are on death row are likely to be innocent. Since 1973, over 170 people have been taken off of death row because evidence showed that they were innocent of the crime for which they were convicted. The justice system has flaws in our justice system.

7. It does not always provide the sense of justice that families require.
The death penalty might be considered to be the ultimate form of justice, but it does not always provide the satisfaction people think it will once it is administered.

8. It does not seek alternative solutions.

9. It automatically assumes that the criminal cannot be rehabilitated.
Sentencing someone to death makes the assumption that the person cannot be rehabilitated and suggests that there is no other way to help society except to get rid of that criminal.