Opposing Viewpoints

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We kill people who kill because killing is wrong. This is the idea some states use when people question their use of the death penalty, the execution of someone who has committed a capital offense. The debate over the death penalty is still alive and well, and those against it often use this argument to show just how absurd the death penalty is. Should those who have committed unspeakable crimes be sentenced to death, or is it better to sentence them to life without the possibility of parole, especially when using the death penalty is more expensive and runs the risk of executing the innocent Forty two out of fifty states have the death penalty as a potential punishment when someone commits a capital crime. According to Opposing Viewpoints …show more content…
According to Opposing Viewpoints’s article “The Death Penalty Deters Crime” by Jay Johansen, “The only major exception to this is the fall in homicides in 1976, which came before executions re-started.” This implies many-if not all-of the years could have been coincidence. Illinois representative Jim Durkin has stated he believes in the death penalty, and he has been quoted in the Opposing Viewpoints article “Preface to "Does the Death Penalty Serve the Public Good?"” saying, “‘A lot of these other arguments will not matter when someone is faced with the murder of a loved one.’” While he may bring up a good point, saying this is what families would want, New Jersey Senator Christopher Bateman has given his explanation for sponsoring an abolishment bill: “‘I spoke to many families who went through trying emotional times during the appeals for death row inmates," he says. "Transferring an inmate from death row to life without parole allows for the aggrieved families to have a sense of calmness in their life without having to relive the tragic events over and over again.’ (“Preface to “Does the Death Penalty Serve the Public Good””)" He explains this not only helps the grieving families feel the criminal has been punished, but it reduces the risk of innocent people being

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