Capital Punishment-the Cases of Johnny D. Mcmillan and Ron Williamson 1

Capital punishment is, undeniably, one of the most highly debated topics in the United States. Many Americans support capital punishment, but they are wrong to do so. Many people use the argument that capital punishment deters crime and recent studies have shown that it does deter crime. Over the years, several studies have demonstrated a link between executions and decreases in murder rates (Haugen). While this is true, people do not realize there are several reasons why the death penalty should be abolished. The three main reasons capital punishment should be abolished is too many innocent inmates are either executed or put on death on row, capital punishment is morally wrong, and it would save the government millions of dollars if capital punishment was not in place. The Federal Government and state governments do not consider the lives of innocent men who were and currently are convicted of murder and sentenced to death. They think the court systems are flawless and if a jury finds one guilty, then the defendant is guilty no questions asked. The cases of Johnny D. McMillan and Ron Williamson prove the judicial system to be dead wrong. Pete Earley tells the story of Johnny D. McMillan in his nonfiction book, Circumstantial Evidence. The story of Johnny D. took place here in Monroeville, Alabama (Earley). He was falsely accused of the murder of Ronda Rene Morrison. He spent six years on death row and was finally released when it was proven that false testimony had put him in prison (Earley). No one from the prosecution or the state ever apologized to McMillan for his wrongful imprisonment (Earley). John Grisham tells Ron Williamson’s story in his nonfiction book, The Innocent Man. Ron Williamson, a former New York Yankee, was also falsely accused of murder (Grisham). Williamson was falsely accused of the murder of Debbie Carter in Ado, Oklahoma (Grisham). He spent eleven years on death row before he was finally proven innocent (Grisham). U.S. District court

Cited: Earley, Pete. Circumstantial Evidence. New York: Bantman Books, 1995. Print. Grisham, John. The Innocent Man. New York: Doubleday, 2006. Print. Haugen, David. The Death Penalty Should Not Be Abolished.. David B. Muhlhausen Opposing Viewpoints: Criminal Justice. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. 24 Nov. 2009. Mears, Bill. "Study: States Cant Afford Death Penalty." CNN.com. 20 Oct. 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. . Tucker, William. Capital Punishment Should Not Be Abolished. Opposing Viewpoints: Criminal Justice. Ed. Tamara L. Roleff. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Williams, Marry. Capital Punishment Undermines the Sacredness of Life. Current Controversies: Capital Punishment. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. 24 Nov. 2009.