Dick Hickock's Arguments Against Capital Punishment

Criminal punishment is an immensely ongoing controversial and societal issue in the United States, Europe and other parts of the world. There are thirty-one states that have kept the death penalty as a legal punishment and nineteen states that have abolished the death penalty, including New Jersey in 2007. Statistics show that 39 percent choose life without parole plus restitution, 33 percent would choose Capital Punishment, 13 percent chose life without parole, 9 percent picked life with parole, and 6 percent had no opinion. One of the main reasons people are pro death penalty is because it gives closure to the victim’s family. Defenders think that “taking an offender 's life is a more severe punishment than any prison life term.” (Funk & Wagnalls). “Life …show more content…
On the other hand, some people are against it because they are finding out that innocent people have been executed. The critics’ concern with this has increased because of “ the new technologies, such as DNA testing, which shows that certain death-row inmates were not guilty…” (Funk & Wagnalls). In addition to the death penalty, non-supporters say the finances for capital punishment is several times greater than keeping someone in prison for life.
The audience could be left with one of two impressions of Dick Hickock, he is innocent or he is guilty. Capote’s biased narration suggested that he wanted Dick to receive the death penalty. He described Dick as the cold-blooded killer throughout the book. While Perry was talking to detective Duntz, he mentions that “ Dick suggests that “after [they’ve] found the safe, [they will] cut their throats.” (Capote 239). Perry explains in the book that robbing the Clutters and then killing them was all Dick’s scheme. Perry also disclosed that he “gave the gun to Dick.” “[Dick] took aim, and [Nancy] turned her face to the wall…” (Capote 245). Again Perry restated