Death Penalty
Based on the dictionary “the death penalty is the decision by the judicial system that some should be put to death as a result of crimes or offenses committed”. This penalty is reserved for only the most heinous of crimes. Death penalty puts innocent people at risk, is more expensive than life in prison, and it does not deter crime. Not to mention, it goes against the eight amendment and the constitution. I am personally against death penalty and think that we should abolish it because there is a better alternative. The federal government of the United States applies the death penalty for crimes such as: terrorism, federal murder, treason, espionage, large-scale drug trafficking, and attempting to kill a witness, juror or court officer. I strongly …show more content…
There are many cases where it was believed that the person was guilty but was find innocent years later. In 1992, Cameron Todd Willingham was convicted of arson murder in Texas. He was believed to have killed his three kids. In 2004, Willingham was put to death and in 2009, the Texas Forensic Science Commission found that the evidence was misinterpreted and concluded that none of the evidence that were used against Willingham was valid because the fire was accidental. Second, we are paying millions for the death penalty system. In Nevada, death penalty cost about $1.03 million to $1.31 million which is about $532,000 more compared with murder cases where capital punishment was not sought. The Commission estimated the annual costs of the present death penalty system to be $137 million per year. Third, it violates the 8th amendment “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” And death penalty is a cruel and an unusual punishment. We should not continue using death penalty because the lives of innocent people are being put at risk. Scientific studies have failed to demonstrated that executions deter people from committing crime. A
Based on the dictionary “the death penalty is the decision by the judicial system that some should be put to death as a result of crimes or offenses committed”. This penalty is reserved for only the most heinous of crimes. Death penalty puts innocent people at risk, is more expensive than life in prison, and it does not deter crime. Not to mention, it goes against the eight amendment and the constitution. I am personally against death penalty and think that we should abolish it because there is a better alternative. The federal government of the United States applies the death penalty for crimes such as: terrorism, federal murder, treason, espionage, large-scale drug trafficking, and attempting to kill a witness, juror or court officer. I strongly …show more content…
There are many cases where it was believed that the person was guilty but was find innocent years later. In 1992, Cameron Todd Willingham was convicted of arson murder in Texas. He was believed to have killed his three kids. In 2004, Willingham was put to death and in 2009, the Texas Forensic Science Commission found that the evidence was misinterpreted and concluded that none of the evidence that were used against Willingham was valid because the fire was accidental. Second, we are paying millions for the death penalty system. In Nevada, death penalty cost about $1.03 million to $1.31 million which is about $532,000 more compared with murder cases where capital punishment was not sought. The Commission estimated the annual costs of the present death penalty system to be $137 million per year. Third, it violates the 8th amendment “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” And death penalty is a cruel and an unusual punishment. We should not continue using death penalty because the lives of innocent people are being put at risk. Scientific studies have failed to demonstrated that executions deter people from committing crime. A