FREE ESSAY ON DEATH PENALTY

DEATH PENALTY

ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY
I believe the death penalty should be abolished. I believe it should be abolished because
it does not help curb crime. Another reason is It is not morally fair or just. We can't
be absolute in making sure people are guilty of the crime. It is more expensive than
Imprisonment. The judgments are not completely impartial. I believe it is cruel and
unusual punishment which is against the law. The death penalty does not help prevent
crime. The murder rates in states with the death penalty are no lower than states
without. The USA is the only Western democracy with the death penalty and we have the
highest murder rate. Canada's murder rate fell the same year they abolished the death
penalty. I do not think that penalties affect the crimes that people commit that much I
believe penalties help curb the peoples with criminal tendencies. We cannot make sure
that everyone on death row is guilty. Since 1970 over 70 people have been released from
death row because of evidence of there innocence. Between 1900 and 1985 350 people were
wrongfully executed. A black person who killed a white person is 40 times more likely
than a white person who killed a black person to be sentenced to the death penalty. The
US is one of only five nations who have executed children or anyone who was under18 at
the time of the crime. The other countries are: Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.
This violates The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child. A small number of countries continue to execute
children. During 1994 2,331 prisoners were executed in 37 countries. 4,032 prisoners were
sentenced to death in 75 countries. These were the only ones known to Amnesty
International the true figures are probably higher. China, Iran, and Nigeria make up 87%
of the worlds executions in 1994. In 1994 China executed 1,791 prisoners. 139 were
executed in Iran. Over 100 in Nigeria. There are several hundred unconfirmed executions
in Iraq. 55 counties have abolished the death penalty for all crimes. 15 countries have
abolished the death penalty for all crimes but exceptional crimes such as war crimes. 27
countries consider abolitionists de facto but have not executed anyone in ten years or
more. 97 countries retain the death penalty. Less than one percent of paroled murderers
commit another murder. People who commit noncapital crimes and have served their full
sentence are more likely to be repeat offenders. If this punishment is humane how come
the put a hood on the prisoners? They do it to spare the witnesses and executioners the
prisoners facial contortions caused by the pain. In 1992 a prisoner had an extremely
violent reaction to a lethal injection and he gagged and had muscle spasms for 11 minutes
until he died. In 1994 it took five minutes for David Lawson to die in a gas chamber
while the whole time screaming "I'm Human!" Most of the people who were convicted of the
death penalty and killed but were found to be not guilty after the executions were
convicted because of race, religion, and economic status. In 1993 Christopher Burger was
executed at the age of 33 he had the intellectual capacity of a 12 yr old child. He was
17 when he was convicted of murdering a man. He was abused by parents, organic brain
impairment, nervous severe trauma to the central nervous system, and schizophrenic. This
was not brought up during the trial. You have to be at least be 15 to be executed.
anything less is considered cruel and unusual punishment. I think the death penalty is
wrong and should not be used. I say this because the USA is the only western democracy to
use the death penalty but we have the highest murder rate. The death penalty is also not
used on an impartial basis most of the people who are convicted are poor and of color.
They also use painful and cruel punishments. The death penalty goes against the United
Nations views. I believe that everyone has the right to live. Nature will take care of
you if you are not the fittest. Execution costs more than 40 years imprisonment at high
security. So all these arguments for the death penalty are not correct. It does not cost
less and it is not the only way prevent repeat