On 24 September 2024, Marcellus Williams, an innocent man, wrote his last poem on death row just before lethal injection executed him. With no physical evidence that tied Mr. Williams to the crime, he was accused of murder after a $10,000 cash award was offered to anyone with information on the perpetrator. For the first time, an innocent man was executed over opposition from the prosecutor’s office and the victim’s family. The death penalty is an irreversible, inhumane and deeply racist practice that violates an individual’s right to life; it uses public dollars to fund faulty executions without proper solutions to the root cause of committed crimes. Therefore, the death penalty is a system to urgently abolish and replace with a more sustainable system under a federal job guarantee, addressing root issues and providing a care economy.
The Crisis of The Death Penalty
Since 1973, the death penalty wrongfully convicted 200 innocent individuals; 108 of the wrongfully convicted individuals were Black Americans. The death penalty’s long history of execution methods unceasingly results in discriminatory cruel, inhumane and unusual methods, from hangings to electrocutions, gas chambers, and lethal injections. Today, lethal injection is most common despite its false claim as the most humane form of execution. Due to medical professionals’ Hippocratic oath, lethal injection is often administered by untrained prison guards conducting botch injections that leave the victim in a paralytic state, fully aware of the injection’s effects. This goes against Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that clearly states our human existence has an inherent right to life and shall be protected by law. Article 7 follows in stating no one shall endure cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. Capital punishment is flawed. It denies individuals complete due process; therefore, once the irreversible death sentence is executed individuals do not benefit from new evidence.
False Claims for Capital Punishment
Proponents of the death penalty argue capital punishment is cheaper than life in prison. In fact, this claim is false. When compared to life in prison, the death penalty is 70% more expensive. The median cost of the death penalty is $1.26 million in comparison to non-death penalty cases that average at $740,000 million. In the United States, execution takes years, not because of delayed government bureaucracy processes, but it takes years to allow time for the defense to appeal and additional evidence to surface. Death penalty costs compounds when unsuccessful cases file for the death penalty and fail resulting in life in prison. Ongoing trials during life in prison add to death penalty costs.
Furthermore, the idea that the death penalty serves justice is deeply subjective. Justice is different for each victim, family and individual. Some may find justice in the extermination of life, while others may feel no true justice or closure was achieved. Restorative justice gives the opportunity of proper closure to victims and families without the need for execution.
Finally, the death penalty fails to provide evidence that it deters crimes. Texas, for example, has 300 inmates on death row while still maintaining the highest number of murder crimes in the country. Crimes stem from broken structures in our government: poverty, poor education, scarce job opportunities, low wages, and lack of mental health services. The government should be aware of these gaps in our community and is responsible for offering citizens a federal job guarantee.
A Care Economy Future
The Congressional Budget Office is well- positioned for funding community improvement initiatives within the justice system through a federal job guarantee by addressing the root cause of crimes: poverty, mental health services, and lack of education. Transforming death row into a route toward healing and recovery will generate public jobs and prevent ongoing crimes while improving our justice system. It is a broad vision for economic recovery and justice reform, offering public jobs that empower both convicted individuals and the communities they return to.
Stephanie Kelton, a leading economist, describes a federal job guarantee as an economic, “stabilizer that promotes both full employment and price stability.” In this model, citizens would bring valuable work to individuals serving life in prison. Through a job guarantee, citizens would promote an environment that cares for our surroundings, our people and our communities. Individuals in prison would engage in restorative work such as art therapy, art expression, trade workshops, trauma healing, soulful writing exercises, and others.
The federal job guarantee is twofold targeting unemployment by providing service-oriented training and life experience, while giving convicted individuals opportunities to restore themselves. This is a picture of a care economy where our federal government funds public jobs that improve the lives of convicted individuals while providing full employment. Most importantly jobs designed in place of the death penalty equip citizens with high skill and real-life experiences to take with them to future opportunities.
A Call for Transformation
Abolishing the death penalty is not just about saving lives—it’s about transforming a punitive system into one that values healing, opportunity, and human dignity. By embracing a care economy through a federal job guarantee, we can create a justice system that addresses the root causes of crime, promotes rehabilitation, and offers every individual the chance to rebuild their life. Together, we can work toward a future where every person has the right to life, the opportunity to change, and the possibility of a meaningful second chance.
