Why The Death Penalty Should Be Stopped
Taylor Hendricks
ISB Honors English 10
18 December 2012
The Death Penalty needs to be Stopped
“To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, not justice.” This quote from Desmund Tutu is a perfect example as to why the death penalty is inhumane. Death penalty is one of the most controversial topics in politics, and is almost always brought up in debates. As of 2011 only 61 percent of the population is in favor of the death penalty (Jonsson). The death penalty is unjust and immoral and should be stopped. The death penalty allows for many wrongly convicted people to be put to death. Sentencing someone to death is a big deal and if they are sentenced to death but not guilty it is not fair them or the victim. To date, 141 innocent people have been executed after being sentenced to death (Carter). This number is far too large and needs to stop growing. “In 2011 alone, 3 men in California were exonerated after decades in prison” …show more content…
“In California, housing death row inmates is almost twice as expensive as housing someone in the general prison population and trial costs can run up to $1 million per case, up to 20 times the cost of a murder trial where prosecutors are not asking for the death penalty.” Consequently, California’s current death penalty system has cost them $4 billion (Jonsson). In California proposition 34 was placed on the ballot for the last election, it would replace death penalty with life in prison without parole. As well as “requiring all convicted killers to work and pay restitution to a victims compensation fund.” If proposition 34 was passed it could save taxpayers up to $130 million (Carter). Proposition 34 would be a good thing for Californians to pass because they could use that money to better other things in their state. There are many alternatives to the death penalty that would save people’s lives but also
ISB Honors English 10
18 December 2012
The Death Penalty needs to be Stopped
“To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, not justice.” This quote from Desmund Tutu is a perfect example as to why the death penalty is inhumane. Death penalty is one of the most controversial topics in politics, and is almost always brought up in debates. As of 2011 only 61 percent of the population is in favor of the death penalty (Jonsson). The death penalty is unjust and immoral and should be stopped. The death penalty allows for many wrongly convicted people to be put to death. Sentencing someone to death is a big deal and if they are sentenced to death but not guilty it is not fair them or the victim. To date, 141 innocent people have been executed after being sentenced to death (Carter). This number is far too large and needs to stop growing. “In 2011 alone, 3 men in California were exonerated after decades in prison” …show more content…
“In California, housing death row inmates is almost twice as expensive as housing someone in the general prison population and trial costs can run up to $1 million per case, up to 20 times the cost of a murder trial where prosecutors are not asking for the death penalty.” Consequently, California’s current death penalty system has cost them $4 billion (Jonsson). In California proposition 34 was placed on the ballot for the last election, it would replace death penalty with life in prison without parole. As well as “requiring all convicted killers to work and pay restitution to a victims compensation fund.” If proposition 34 was passed it could save taxpayers up to $130 million (Carter). Proposition 34 would be a good thing for Californians to pass because they could use that money to better other things in their state. There are many alternatives to the death penalty that would save people’s lives but also