By Sophie Gilbert ‘19, Staff Writer

In June of 2015, Dylann Roof shot and killed nine people at a church in Charleston, South Carolina. This was a racially motivated crime, as the target was a historically black church and Roof himself admitted to committing the crime in order to start a race war. This month, Roof became the first federal hate-crime defendant to be sentenced to death, according to a Justice Department spokesperson.This significant event has brought about new discussion and debate about the role of the death penalty as punishment, as it has always been a controversial topic with varied viewpoints .

When it comes to the controversial topic of the death penalty, Dylann Roof is the ideal person to point to in its support. Roof chose to represent himself in court and made no effort to avoid the death penalty, even implying  that he had no regrets, saying “I felt like I had to do it.” His horrifying actions and the fact that he has shown no remorse make it evident that no amount of jail time would rehabilitate him, and he may be considered a “perfect candidate” for the death penalty. For the families of the nine people killed in the church, the death penalty will bring them justice.

However, the problem is that not every case is as clear cut as Roof’s. According to Amnesty International, there have been 151 wrongly convicted people released from death row since 1973, and the Huffington Post has

 estimated that in that time, over 200 prisoners would have been exonerated had more time and resources been available. It has been shown that having the death penalty in effect does not lower homicide rates. Additionally, the cost of death penalty cases are up to 70% higher than non-death penalty cases. The cost of death penalty cases varies from state to state, but is consistently incredibly expensive. For example, in California the death penalty has cost over $4 billion since 1978. The capital punishment system is riddled with bias that makes it much more likely some people receive death sentences than others. Almost all inmates on death row could not afford their own attorney, instead having court-ordered attorneys that were less experienced and equipped to deal with the case. Wealth evidently plays a role in one’s likeliness to end up on death row.  Geographically, 82% of all executions since 1976 have occurred in the South, showing a obvious difference in one’s likelihood to be on the receiving end of the penalty based on where he or she lives–partly due to the fact that, in many Northern states, the death penalty is not legal. The death penalty is sought out far more often when the victim of the crime is white rather than African American or another race, and leaving African American defendants to receive the death penalty at three times the rate of white defendants. Additionally, the execution of someone who is mentally ill is considered unconstitutional, and yet it is estimated that 5-10% of those on death row have had a serious mental illness. If somebody has a mental illness, being put on death row does nothing to treat or rehabilitate them. It is clear that the death penalty system is costly, flawed, and easily influenced by bias.

Within the Newark Academy community, there are many different viewpoints on the topic, just as there are throughout the country. “In cases where there is no chance for a parole or a life sentence, it is a drain on state resources to try to preserve a person’s life,” says Jacob Tepper ‘19 about why he supports the penalty. The death penalty is a controversial topic, as there are many scenarios where capital punishment has its merits.

Now back to Dylann Roof: his case actually goes against the negative statistics above. He was a white perpetrator of a crime with black victims, refused using a mental health defense in court, and chose to represent himself rather than use an attorney. Looking at Roof, it is easy to say that the death penalty has its merits. With somebody like Dylann Roof, who committed a disgusting hate crime about which he has no regrets, the death penalty is a clear course of action. But the issue of the death penalty itself goes far beyond him. He may be an exception to the statistics, but they are still facts. There are countless others who have been sentenced to death who were wrongly accused of crimes or may be better suited for rehabilitation; these cases not only present moral issues but also require taxpayers’ money that could be better used in other areas. Despite criminals like Dylann Roof, who seem to deserve the punishment, when looking at the bigger picture it is clear that the death penalty should not be in effect.