Should the death penalty be nationwide?Thirty-eight states have the death penalty.
There are 7-10 types of homicides that arepunishable by death. . No one under 18 can be given the death penalty. Lethal injection is themost common form of execution. It is used in 32 states.
Other forms of execution includeelectrocution, firing squad, gas chamber, and hanging. Three-thousand-five-hundred people arecurrently on death row awaiting execution. The death penalty should be eliminated completely. It is not fair to kill potentiallyinnocent people because they had a poor or inexperienced lawyer.
The death penalty is toexpensive and it does not deter crime. It is these three main reasons that I feel the deathIt is unfair to kill those who had a bad lawyer. Many of the people facing the deathsentence cannot afford a good lawyer therefore one is appointed to them. Often times theselawyers are young and inexperienced. Because of this people are being put to death because ofthe mistakes their lawyers made.
“Poor people get poor representation. Thy are represented byoverworked public defenders and private lawyers whore aren’t getting paid. That’s not equaljustice. ” said a Louisiana lawyer. We cannot sentence people to death because of the mistakesThe death penalty is way too expensive.
The government spends over $2 million dollarsper execution on extra costs that are only there because of the death penalty. This goes beyondthe costs of a typical murder case without the death penalty and costs of incarceration resultingfrom a life sentence. The trial alone is 3. 5 times more expensive than if the death penalty hadnot been sought. And the cost is doubled to execute someone rather than keep him/her in prisonfor 40 years.
The death penalty is not cost effective. On top of the cost of the death penalty, research shows that the death penalty does notdeter crime. In two neighboring states one with the death penalty and one with out, the statewithout the death penalty had less crime. In a survey of police chiefs across the country,expanding the death penalty was the least effective way to deter crime. Many of the people ondeath row were faced with death every day of their life, therefore the threat of getting the deathpenalty has no effect on them.
Statistics show that the best way to deter crime is swift and sureaction. The death penalty is anything but swift or sure. However, there is evidence in the bible that justifies the death penalty. “Whoever shed’sman’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.
” (Genesis 9:6) But who is to judge whether or notsomeone should die? “May the lord be our judge. ” (1 Samuel 24:15) “May the lord avenge the(1samuel 24:12) The Bible also says “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. ” But every onealso knows that two wrongs don’t make a right. It is very simple, sentencing someone to thedeath penalty is the same as killing them and killing is wrong. There is no good reason to keep the death penalty because it has no effect on thedeterrence of crime.
We need to stop wasting money on the death penalty and invest thatmoney in crime prevention methods such as reducing drug abuse, bettering the economy andproviding more job opportunities, simplifying court rule and give longer prison sentences, puttingmore police officers on the streets, and reducing guns on the streets. Without first taking theseproper advances in crime prevention the death penalty is a waste of time and moneyBibliography:CQ researcher “death penalty debate”deathpenalty information center
