Death Penalty Arguments

Arguments

Money • California currently spends $184 million on the death penalty each year and is on track to spend $1 billion in the next five years. • It is clear that had O.J. Simpson been poor, he would now be on death row, innocent or guilty. • Adds up to millions on something with a slight change of happening (only 13 people killed via death penalty after 1976 in California • Life without parole can be an alternative, it costs less • Instead of using the money to kill the criminal, it can be used to aid the victim’s families through counseling, restitution, crime victim hotlines, and other services addressing their needs Lawyers & Racism • There have even been instances in which lawyers appointed to a death case were so inexperienced that they were completely unprepared for the sentencing phase of the trial. Other appointed attorneys have slept through parts of the trial, or arrived at the court under the influence of alcohol. • most important factor in determining whether a defendant will receive the death penalty is the quality of the representation he or she is provided • overworked, underpaid, inexperienced • 87% of the cases in which a death sentence is imposed the victim is white. White-victim cases are roughly eleven times more likely than black-victim cases to result in a sentence of death. • 22% of black defendants who kill white victims are sentenced to death; 8% of white defendants who kill white victims are sentenced to death; 1% of black defendants who kill black victims are sentenced to death; and 3% of white defendants who kill black victims are sentenced to death. • Since 1976, 289 african Americans have been executed for killing a white person, while only 19 white people have been executed for killing a black person • Death penalty is applied at random: death penalty is a lethal lottery: of the 22,000 homicides committed every year approximately 150 people are sentenced to death Wrongly Accused • in the past two years evidence has come to light which indicates that four men may have been wrongfully EXECUTED in recent years for crimes they did not commit • Since 1973, over 140 people have been exonerated and freed from death row • The most recent exonerees are Seth Penalver (No. 142) of Florida and Damon Thibodeaux (No. 141) of Louisiana, both in 2012. • since 1973 when the death penalty was reinstated, there have been 129 people from 26 states released from death row with evidence of their innocence (not just on a technicality) • We can’t rely on DNA, of these 140 people just 17 benefited from DNA evidence
No Crime Deterrence & is cruel • One study by Thorsten Sellin found that between 1989 and 2002, California (one execution), Texas (239 executions) and New York (no executions) all had almost identical patterns of murder rates from year to year-—though overall, Texas’ average was highest • 88% of criminologists do not think it deters crime • survey of police chiefs nationwide found they rank the death penalty lowest among ways to reduce violent crime • When criminals kill, they don’t care about the consequences; they instead kill out of anger/intoxication or have a mental disability. • Some reports about lethal injection having some flaws; causes criminal to still be aware and cause extreme pain • almost all religious groups in the United States regard executions as immoral and that God forgives all

Questions

1. If the criminals are kept alive on life without parole, won’t they be more useful to the country doing service and work rather than in the ground? 2. California is already in major debt, wouldn’t you want to cut back spending therefore abolishing the death penalty? 3. You say that executions will scare away others, please explain why the states with the death penalty still in play have the most homicides? 4. If it is a fit & fair judgement then what about issue about money and race? Isn’t it kind of sketchy how these numbers play out? Since 1976, 289 african Americans have been executed for killing a white person, while only 19 white people have been executed for killing a black person, explain. 5. What will you do if you kill an innocent person? Is it still just then? 6. According to my research, family and friends of the victim actually go through a lot more suffering if you put the accused on death row. That means years of trial, resulting in years of torment, why not sentence them to life without parole and using the money instead to aid the family? 7. If he or she has done something horrible and unforgiving, then he or she must live with it for the rest of his or her life. Dying is an easy way out. Prison more beneficial to all? 8. What if the criminal was mentally disabled? Most crimes happen like that or in the spur of the moment of anger or intoxification.