John Grisham's A Time To Kill

“Who, exactly, gives us the right to kill? If killing is wrong, then why are we allowed to kill?” John Grisham, an author of A Time to Kill, once said this. He brings up a good point. If we have such strict laws against the killing of another, why then should we punish the breakers of that law by doing the thing we said they did wrong? Killing someone to punish a criminal is almost as bad as doing the crime yourself. I am a strong believer against the death penalty. Who says the government has the power to decide if someone is to live or not? Humans make mistakes. We have poor judgment. The government is not exempt from the weaknesses that the rest of us are subject to. The death penalty should never be used because it is final and causes too much hurt, but it does not do any good. For instance, the death penalty does not allow a second chance. It destroys any chance for the criminal to reconcile for what they’ve done. Moreover it does not allow for any margin of error. Imagine you are thrown in jail for 8 years, and then new evidence is …show more content…
Once it is done, there is no,”Oh! We messed up. Sorry!” What’s done is done. Furthermore it costs thousands of dollars more than keeping someone in prison for the rest of their life. This essay proves that eliminating the death penalty is better for the criminal, for society, and for the government. It does not stop anyone from breaking the law, despite what most government officials may think. The death penalty only does one thing: it ends someone’s life. They had a family. They might have had friends. But with the death penalty, they will not be able to talk with their loved ones on Christmas morning, or see them from time to time. They won’t be able to feel remorse for what they’ve done, or reconcile for what they’ve done because after one push of a button, or one flip of a switch, they’ll be gone from this