Death Penalty

Capital Punishment – The Death Penalty

Murder? The helmeted man sits immobile, strapped and bolted into the enforced chair. The switch is closed. One thousand volts of electricity surge into his delicate flesh, searing his nervous system. The man, despite his shackles, jerks. His head bobs and shakes. Gurgling rises from his throat. After a minute the current is switched off, ten seconds later a surge of deadly volts slam his ruined body back into the chair. Smoke begins to rise from the helmet. A foul, gruesome smell of frying meat and voided bowels fill the room. This time the current stays on for what seems like days. When it is turned off, the question is asked. Is capital punishment the answer for the criminals of today's society (Cushing)? Capital punishment is the lawful infliction of the death penalty, and since ancient times it has been used to punish a wide variety of offenses. As of now, the death penalty is illegal in every other country besides the United States and is legal in only 39 of those 50 U.S. states (Finks). The death penalty should be made illegal throughout the entire United States because it allows for economic bias, is ineffective, and lastly it’s not our job to decide who lives or dies.

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They also quote passages such as the "an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" concept from the Old Testament Christian Bible (Cushing). One way the death penalty is ineffective is in its failure to be a deterrent for criminals.

In conclusion it is my belief that the death penalty is a morally wrong and unjust action. But with the death penalty it would be too late to save those innocent people who get caught up in crimes they didn’t commit. Another way it is ineffective is when innocent people are put to death. Simpson case; everyone knows he was guilty, but since he has so much money and fame he was let free. It has been proven by many studies that the death penalty is not a deterrent for crime (Miller). There have been several cases where “guilty” people have later been found innocent and set free. We are choosing not to show respect for the sacredness of human life by allowing the death penalty to go on. On the contrary, killing these criminals demonstrates a lack of respect for life (Cushing). As far as costs, it is much cheaper to keep a person alive in prison for life.

The last reason why the death penalty should be made illegal across the United States is that human beings are trying to play God.

The most important reason why the death penalty should be made illegal across the United States is because of the social and economic bias’ that come along with it. On the other hand the poor defendant is unable to post bond, will remain in jail and will proceed to trial with a court appointed attorney who is unable to get the proper defense tools due to the restrictions of his/her budget. For all these reasons the death penalty should be made illegal in the United States.

Approximate Word count = 946
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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