The death penalty has been a controversial topic for many years. Some people believe that it is an effective way to deter crime, while others feel that it is inhumane and should be abolished. There are pros and cons to both sides of the argument, and it can be difficult to decide which side is right.
On one hand, capital punishment could be seen as an effective deterrent to crime. If potential criminals know that they could face the death penalty if they are convicted, they may be less likely to commit a crime in the first place. Additionally, the death penalty may act as a deterrent to other potential criminals, as they will see what happened to the person who was convicted and may think twice before committing a crime themselves.
According to the Eighth Amendment, the death penalty is “cruel and unusual punishment,” which means it’s inhumane and ineffective. On November 2nd, 2013, Stacey Alesi wrote in Drugsthe Death Penalty that drugs from compounding pharmacies may be flawed or of the incorrect strength, causing the condemned man to suffer as he dies. As a result, we disagree with today’s resolution calling for abolition of capital punishment in 50 states.
In the United States, the death penalty is used as retribution for a crime. The death penalty is an eye for an eye punishment that has been around since the ancient times.
The first recorded death sentence was carried out in 1608 in Virginia. In 1972, the Supreme Court case Furman v. Georgia declared all existing death penalties unconstitutional. The court said that having the death penalty violated the Eighth Amendment, which protects citizens from “cruel and unusual punishments.” But in 1976, the court reversed its decision in Gregg v. Georgia, and since then, states have been able to resume executions (ProCon).
The Death Penalty Information Center states that currently there are 3,143 people on death row in America and 22 people have been executed in 2019. Texas has the most with 544 death row inmates, California has 737. There are 19 states that have abolished the death penalty (Death Penalty Information Center).
The cost of the death penalty is also higher than imprisonment for life. A study done in California showed that it costs $137 million per year more to have the death penalty than not to have it. The main reason for this is that cases with the death penalty take much longer and have more court hearings than cases without (ProCon).
African Americans are also far more likely to be given the death penalty. In 2016, 42% of death row inmates were black even though they only make up 13% of the population (Death Penalty Information Center).
The value we have chosen to defend in today’s discussion is Life. Physical existence is characterized by activity. That which distinguishes a deceased creature from one that is still alive is what separates them. This value supports my position because it concerns human dignity, as stated in our opening argument from March 31st, 2017, by Andrew Crome: It’s Time for the US to Follow This Trend: The death penalty is a fundamentally flawed public policy that has outlawed any usefulness it may once have had.
The death penalty is an affront to human dignity. State-sanctioned killing diminishes all of us. The death penalty is a failed public policy. It does not deter crime, it is racially biased, it is Arbitrary, and it wastes taxpayer dollars. The death penalty has been shown to be a horrible mistake. In conclusion, the death penalty should be abolished.
Only a few states utilize the death penalty, and each crime is judged differently depending on where it takes place. Our second contentions, Should the Death Penalty Be Abolished? Diann Rust-Tierney and Joshua Marquis made this point in October 7th, 2013: capital punishment trials and appeals take years to complete, putting taxpayers through significant costs.
“The death penalty is an issue that has the United States quite divided. While there are many supporters of it, there is also a large number of people who wish for the death penalty to be abolished. There are a number of reasons as to why people are against the death penalty.
One reason is that they believe that it is not an effective deterrent for crime. In addition, they feel that capital punishment is often used in a biased way against minorities and poor people. Some opponents also feel that human beings should not have the right to take away another person’s life.”
More than 200 death row inmates have spent more than 20 years in prison without a chance of being put to death. Sentences are available to punish the guilty and safeguard our communities. Taxpayer money may be better utilized for crime prevention and rehabilitation efforts for individuals harmed by violence. It’s past time for the United States to catch up with other nations and end this medieval form of punishment.
The death penalty is a relic of the past that has no place in a modern, civilized society. It is an inhumane and barbaric practice that violates the most basic human rights, and it must be abolished.
The death penalty is unjust, cruel, and inhuman. It is a violation of the most basic human rights, and it must be abolished. The death penalty is an inhumane and barbaric practice that has no place in a modern, civilized society. It is a cruel and unusual punishment that is not warranted by any crime, and it must be stopped.
The death penalty does not deter crime. It is a waste of taxpayer dollars that could be better spent on crime prevention and the rehabilitation of people harmed by violence. It disproportionately affects poor and minority defendants, who are more likely to be convicted of capital crimes even though they are no more likely to commit them than anyone else. And it takes away the chance for redemption and rehabilitation, which is what our justice system should be about.
It’s time for the United States to catch up with other nations by eliminating this medieval form of punishment. Join us in calling for an end to the death penalty.