Im doing a debate in school about the death penalty and Im against it, what do u think?

Question

I don't know about you but I would rather die that spend my whole life in prison. So I think death penalty is just the easy way out. Life imprion is more suffer. what do you think

I mean that I think that people who have commited crimes deserve to suffer more that just death. They need to spend their whole lives in prison to think about what they did. That's what I mean by it just being an easy way out

Answer 1

Here are a few facts about the death penalty in the United States which may help you. They are all verifiable and sourced.

Re: Possibility of executing an innocent person
Over 120 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence, many having already served over 2 decades on death row. If we speed up the process we are bound to execute an innocent person. Once someone is executed the case is closed. If we execute an innocent person the real criminal is still out there and will have successfully avoided being charged.

Re: DNA
DNA is available in less than 10% of murder cases. It’s not a miracle cure for sentencing innocent people to death. It’s human nature to make mistakes.

Re: Deterrence
The death penalty isn’t a deterrent. Murder rates are actually higher in states with the death penalty than in states without it. Moreover, people who kill or commit other serious crimes do not think about the consequences or even that they will be caught (if they think at all.)

Re: cost
The death penalty costs far more than life in prison. The huge extra costs start to mount up even before the trial. There are more cost effective ways to prevent and control crime.

Re: Alternatives
48 states have life without parole on the books. It means what it says, is swift and sure and is rarely appealed. Being locked in a tiny cell for 23 hours a day, forever, is certainly no picnic. Life without parole incapacitates a killer (keeps him from re-offending) and costs considerably less than the death penalty.

Re: Who gets the death penalty
The death penalty isn’t reserved for the “worst of the worst,” but rather for defendants with the worst lawyers. When is the last time a wealthy person was sentenced to death, let alone executed??

Re: Victims families
The death penalty is very hard on victims’ families. They must relive their ordeal in the courts and the media. Life without parole is sure, swift and rarely appealed. Some victims families who support the death penalty in principal prefer life without parole because of how the death penalty affects families like theirs.

Opposing the death penalty doesn’t mean you condone brutal crimes or excuse people who commit them. According to a Gallup Poll, in 2006, 47% of all Americans prefer capital punishment while 48% prefer life without parole. Americans are learning the facts and making up their minds using common sense, not revenge or an eye for an eye mentality.

Answer 2

You're against it but you think it's "the easy way out" and spending a whole life in prison is more to suffer? If I were on deathrow, I certainly would agree with you. No argument there. You might want sit this one out. Whether on the negative or affirmative, you're going to drop the ball and lose the round by making your opponents case for them if you get up there and say what you've written here. You need to reassess your position and strengthen its weak spots. Either that or wait for another debate proposition to come along. This topic is a broad one and there is no room to make mistakes that will cost you in front of the judge.

Answer 3

"LIFE" in prison generally means serving 15-20 years. It does not mean that the prisoner stays in the prison until he dies.

It is very costly to keep a person in prison on average about $40K per person per year. Consequently, there is plea bargaining to lower the charge (prior to trial) so the person pleads guilty avoiding the trial and then the person may get a lesser sentence. Then for a "life" sentence of 15 years a prisoner may only serve 5 years and be let loose because of overcrowded prisons. So the convicted felon will be back in society and may potentially harm another person.

People in prison do not suffer as much as you may think. Also, they certainly do not reform. The issue is not how much a prisoner suffers, but rather how much his next victim may suffer if he is set free.

Answer 4

Remember these things:

1. There sometimes needs to be an ultimate sanction.
2. The penalty must be humane - I'm British, but I know that the US constitution does not allow for cruel and unusual punishment.
3. For justice to be effective it needs to be merciful
4. Relatives of the victim should have no say in the punishment, only in the application of mercy. If they push for an execution without showing any forgiveness, they make themselves as bad as the person who committed the crime in the first instance.
5. There needs to be exhaustive but swift appeals process - it is not necessary to make someone linger on death row for a time which may be considered a life sentence in other countries, only to then be seen off by the state.
6. Any officer of the law who is found to be complicit in the fitting up of someone subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to death, should themselves face the same sanction WITHOUT recourse to appeal.
7. Life imprisonment without parole may be sufficient, but the option of the death penalty should remain for some cases, with provisos as laid out above.

Answer 5

I think its great that u are against the death penalty and doing a paper about it that will educate others ,although im not sure its because i agree with your motivation. I dont agree with the death sentence execept in child abuse and molestaion cases . Because I dont believe our justice system is very good, and alot more than we know of innocent people are incarserated while being innocent. And only GOD should choose who lives and dies taking another life is against the law of our land "thou shall not kill " so that is the real reason. Good luck with your paper i'm sure you will do a fine job but do investigate the innocent that are found guilty as well as the guilty found guilty i'm sure you will be shocked at the statistics.

Answer 6

Before you get in front of an audience or moderator to present your stand on the issue given you need to be sure that you have done ALL the proper research. This is to include both the negative sides and positive sides to the death penalty. Remember to not allow your opinions interfere with the hard facts. Facts are always more notable than your personal opinion. Also be sure to include all the sources you used to research your issue.

My personal opinion is that the death penalty can be a good idea in certain cases, ie: criminally insane, serial killers with more than 5-10 murders under their belt.
As for house wife murders who want the life insurance and jealous mistresses who kill their partners wife, those cases should be spent in prison. It teaches them that they cant get away with things. And shows them that they didnt win but only lost.

Be sure to not always let your personal opinion interfere....base your decision on the facts you obtain...this doesnt mean your opinion doesnt matter..just use the facts to your personal opinions advantage. Hope it helped!

Answer 7

you should call lawyers and talk to them about it. focus on the ones who handle criminal cases. I bet they almost all tell you that the real hard core criminals don't fear prison. while we do need to work to make sure no innocent person is executed the death penalty needs to be there to make sure they have something to fear like their victims feared them. we had a case here in RI where a couple was kidnapped in broad day light and killed on a golf course for kicks. They draw breath because we don't have the death penalty. It's cases like this that the death penalty needs to exist, to send the message that if you take a life for reasons other than self defense or the safety of someone else you will lose yours.Criminals need to fear without regard to who they are or where they come from or their age.




Vin

Answer 8

It's a really hard question. If they would leave the people in jail FOREVER instead of letting them out...have life in prison mean life in prison then I guess I wouldn't mind so much but who are we to say what to do with someone if it's not our family that was killed. What about John Couey? He's the guy that buried that little 9 year old girl alive. What should we do with him? I'd like to see him die...I can't help feeling that way, when they showed the plastic bags she was buried in with the little finger holes where she tried to get out...it makes me sick to think of it. They'd have to put him in with a bunch or rapists for the rest of his life to make me happy if they don't kill him.

Answer 9

Not sure, but I'm against it for other reasons - for one, the fallibility of the courts - innocent people get executed too often - also, if the death penalty were an effective deterrant, there wouldn't be people still committing the crimes they know they'll get death for.

Answer 10

sounds to me to be an oxymoron you have here. Your question says you are against the death penalty, however you'd rather die than be in prison for life. Get that straight before you continue your debate.