Deterrence & Justice, page 5

Additionally, there is a never-ending legal misrepresentation problem in capital cases, U. S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said "People who are well represented at trial do not get the death penalty. . . . I have yet to see a death case among the dozens coming to the Supreme Court on eve-of-execution stay applications in which the defendant was well represented at trial."[6] Examples of misrepresentation are such cases as George McFarland (still on death row in Texas) had a lawyer who slept through parts of his trial in 1992.[7] Terry Washington had a lawyer who did not bother to bring the subject of Mr. Washington's mental retardation or brain damage to the attention of the judge or jury in 1987.[8] Basically, if one can not afford to pay for justice, you just don't get any.

In conclusion, looking at how the U.S. proclaims itself as one of the biggest advocates of human rights and civilized values worldwide, but yet, still keeps using a form of punishment no other "civilized" nation uses, It is ironic that the U.S. still has one of the highest homicide rates in the world--in spite of our use of the capital punishment. It would be logical to contend that our country would be better off not having death as a punitive option, with as prone to errors of inequality and judgment as our criminal justice system is; it is logically the right choice for now.