Capital Punishment

I. Introduction

a. No one would ever want to hear the words, "We the jury, find the defendant guilty." Just imagine how an innocent person would feel knowing that they are sentenced to die in an unjust way. Innocent people are found guilty often for actions of someone else. The results of innocent people said to be guilt can cause stress on the families and wrongful death of a human being.

b. There are thirty-two states in this world that still support capital punishment. Yet, over 140 people have been exonerated and freed of capital punishment since 1973. When talking about capital punishment, society tends to forget the family members of the prisoner. A family member that has been charged with capital punishment whether guilty or innocent puts a family under tremendous stress believe it or not.

c. Capital punishment should be suspended because of the chance of executing an innocent person, the stress on families, and the importance of life.

II. Thesis Point #1

Capital punishment should be suspended because of the chance of executing an innocent person.

a. Over one hundred and forty people have been exonerated and freed of capital punishment since 1973.

b. Since 1973, according to the non-profit Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C., 115 people have been released from America's death rows with evidence of their innocence (Recinella, 20).

c. DNA plays an important role in proving ones innocence.

d. Innocence has made its way of becoming a strong argument in capital punishment over the past decade because abolitionists have been able to point to the near-execution of inmates whose innocence is supported by post-conviction DNA tests (Aronson, 605).

Innocent people died every day from being wrongfully accused.

III...

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...ce, stress on families, and importance of life. Capital punishment should only be used when clear evidence is presented to prove that a person is guilty of a serious criminal offense.

Works Cited

1. Aronson, Jay D., and Simon A. Cole. "Science And The Death Penalty: DNA, Innocence, And The Debate Over Capital Punishment In The United States." Law & Social Inquiry 34.3 (2009): 603-633. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.

2. Gray, James P. "Essay: Facing Facts On The Death Penalty." Loyola Of Los Angeles Law Review 44.3 (2011): S255-S264. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.

3. Recinella, Dale S. "No To The Death Penalty." America 191.13 (2004): 18-20. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.

4. Williams, Armstrong. "The death penalty vs. the right to life." New York Amsterdam News 18 Mar. 1999: 8. Advanced Placement Source. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.