Olivia Owens
5th Hour
Honors English III
October 16, 2013
Should The Death Penalty be legal?
too much space
"Capital punishment is the most premeditated of murders." -Albert Camus, French philosopher. The Death Penalty is an immoral and unjust punishment that directly defies the governing documents of our nation. Its’ inconsistency, unreliability, and inability to deter crime add to the argument as to why the Death Penalty should be outlawed in the United States. (death penalty) great stating your claim and briefly why but it needs more substance
The immoral hypocrisy of The Death Penalty alone could be reason enough as to why is should not be in use. As stated by Victor Hugo, the author of Les Miserables "What says the law? You will not kill. How does it say it? By killing!". By legally executing citizens, aren’t we simply infringing on the very foundations of our country? After all, the American colonies separated from Britain and even went to war all because of the government prohibiting their unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Not only does capital punishment defy the ideas of the Declaration of Independence, but it also goes directly against our nation’s constitution. According to amendment VIII: "excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted”. Death is a penalty that is severe in its’ severity and conclusion; it is cruel in the sense that it is degrading the value of a human life. This is not the only amendment capital punishment disobeys. According to amendment XIV: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws”. Because the death penalty is distributed unevenly— largely discriminating from race, gender, and social status— it does not provide an equal opportunity/protection under law.
Another reason for The Death Penalty to be made illegal is for its’ pure inconsistency. Since 1973, 142 people have exonerated and freed from death row. The average time in between sentencing and exoneration is 9.8 years. And advancements in DNA testing have played a significant role in 18 of the 142 cases (DPIC). As for the number of innocent people wrongly executed, we will probably never know due to the fact that courts do not like to deal with cases in which the defendant is already deceased. But even one wrongful death is still enough to take a step back and strongly reconsider the severity of this punishment. Although DNA testing and other forensic studies have dramatically improved in recent years, it is still impossible to determine if someone is undoubtedly guilty. Therefore, you should not be able to administer a permanent punishment on a person.
The primary goal of capital punishment is to deter crime. Recent statistics show, however, that crimes that result in The Death Penalty have seen no decrease whatsoever in occurrence. Since 1977, the southern region of the United States, which generates most of the nation’s crime, has accounted for 80 percent of all executions. Compared to the northeastern region, with the lowest crime rate and accounting for less than 1 percent of executions, it is evident that capital punishment is not deterring any crimes from occurring. Like the data, experts on the subject do not believe in its’ effectiveness either. According to the Death Penalty information Center, a recent survey showed that a majority of leading criminologists do not believe that The Death Penalty deters homicide. "I have never heard a murderer say they thought about the death penalty as consequence of their actions prior to committing their crimes” Gregory Ruff, police lieutenant in Kansas.
Some argue that it is easier and cheaper to execute a criminal rather than keeping them alive in prison for the rest of their lives. This is not true, however. In North Carolina, it cost 2.16 million more dollars to administer the death penalty to murderers as opposed to a lifetime in prison. Trials are also more expensive, as the state of Kansas concluded that cases in which the death penalty was the highest punishment were 7o percent more expensive than non-death penalty cases (ACLU).
In recent years, movements towards getting The Death Penalty abolished have taken effect. In 2008, Amnesty International, a human rights organization, spoke out against capital punishment.
"Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception. The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state in the name of justice. It violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment."
In conclusion, The Death Penalty is a practice that goes against the ideals America believes in. Not only is it unconstitutional, but basic human rights neglected. Capital punishment does not serve its’ purpose to deter further crimes from occurring, it is a more expensive alternative to a life sentence in prison, and there are a large number of wrongly convicted people including some who have already been executed. There are no benefits to maintaining the practice of capital punishment, only negatives. That is why I believe The Death Penalty should be deemed illegal.
great incorporating literature as a source!
expand in your paragraphs your thoughts/ideas
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