Just Say No to the Death Penalty

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In this paper, I will be arguing for the following position that the death penalty should be abolished for all crimes in the United States as it is not a proven deterrent, it is not cost effective and there is a chance an innocent person could be out to death. The capital punishment for all crimes should be a life sentence in prison as it deters, it’s a cheaper option and it would save innocent lives.
I think that some of the best arguments for my position should start off with the basis that the death penalty is not a proven deterrent. There is no plausible evidence that the death penalty is a greater threat to criminals than a life sentence behind bars. There have been cases where criminals have admitted they would rather die than live in a maximum security prison until the end. The ever present danger in jail is constantly alive, you have an ongoing everyday fear of rape and abuse around every corner. The isolation of the cells and possibility of a clash with a cellmate, if you have one, can be extremely stressful. It is not a life anyone would choose for themselves.
The next argument for my position is the overwhelming cost from trial to the end of a prisoner’s sentence in regards to a death penalty sentence versus a life in prison sentence. The Death Penalty Information Center states the United States of America spent and extra $1.6 billion on capital trials between 1982 and 1997. The states of New Jersey and New York have gotten rid of the death penalty altogether. New Jersey spent $253 million dollars over a twenty five year period and never executed a single inmate (deathpenaltyinfo.org). New York spent $170 million over a course of just a nine year period and also had zero executions (deathpenaltyinfo, reports). Both sta...

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...ve do you have when you are willingly breaking the law? The consequences and risks are there they are just chosen to be brushed off. It is the same equivalent of a person trying to take their own life, if the person does not succeed it is not against the law but if a person does succeed then they have broken the law… does it not matter for those that intended to succeed? No and they are not punished.
In conclusion, I still maintain that, on balance, my position presents a stronger case. If the death penalty is abolished innocent lives will not be lost, money will not be wasted and criminals will not be subjected to a punishment that is worse than the death they may or may not ever face.

Works Cited

www.bbc.co.uk/ethics.capitalpunishment.for_1shtml www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/time-death-row www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/reports
www.deathrow.at/dominiquegreen/life.html

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