Argumentative Essay: Abolishing The Death Penalty

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Courtney Rucker
Professor Field
LAL 101
19 November 2014
Death Penalty
For the worst crimes, life without parol is a more logical option for several reasons. I am against the death penalty not out of sympathy for criminals, but because of the fact that the threat of death is no more successful in reducing crime than the fear of life in prison, and is therefore unnecessary. The death penalty also prolongs the anguish of the families of murder victims, and is more expensive.
According to Forbes, the top ten most dangerous cities in the United States as of 2014, determined by crime rate and the number of residents, are listed in the order from most dangerous to least dangerous as followed: Detroit, St. Louis, Oakland, Memphis, Birmingham,
The city is plagued by gang violence and its homicide rate jumped up to 15% in 2011. Stockton has a population of 295,136 and a violent crime rate of 1,408 per 100,000. If the death penalty were to be abolished in California, the crime rate would not significantly increase. In terms of size and population, St. Louis is the most similar to Oakland and Stockton when compared to Memphis, Cleveland, and Birmingham.
Judging by Missouri’s attempts in abolishing the death penalty, the crime rate results in St. Louis would be similar in Oakland and Stockton as well.
The family members of murder victims are often forced to suffer through more pain and anguish than the convicted murderer during a trial meant to determine if that convicted murderer should face the death penalty or receive life in prison. Death penalty cases can take 20 to 30 years to finally get through the court system. Meanwhile, mothers, fathers, siblings, and close friends are called upon by the court to endure learning and being reminded about the specifics of

Rucker 2 their loved one’s death on a regular basis. Honest, law-abiding citizens should not have to be punished along with the person who committed the
The amount of money taxpayers in Maryland pay for one death sentence is $1.9 million to $3 million. Florida pays $51 million a year to execute their criminals. In the U.S. death penalty trials cost an average of 48% more than the average cost of trials in which prosecutors seek life imprisonment. This money is better off being spent on resources that could help control and prevent crime such as emergency services. Considering the alternative, there is no reason for the death penalty to exist. The threat of capital punishment does not seem to discourage criminals from committing homicide, one of the only crimes the death penalty reserves. The “eye for an eye” principle is not worth the pain the families of murder victims experience during penalty phases, nor is the obscene amount of money the U.S. spends on it. Death is not a necessary punishment for a crime because life in prison is not much of a life at all.

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Works Cited
Kenally, Meghan. " 'I Don 't Want These Nightmares Anymore ': Travis Alexander 's
Siblings Tear up as They Plead Jurors to Give Jodi Arias the Death Penalty." Mail Online.
Associated Newspapers, 16 May 2013. Web. 21 Nov.