Dealth Penalty

Death is the Penalty

Imagine you’re sitting there in a chair, tied down unable to move because the executioners have your feet and arms cuffed to the chair. Now you’re waiting to be called, the countdown starts from sixty seconds and as they call your name your heart beats rapidly, your fingers start tingling, sweat is flowing down your neck and time is ticking while you’re sitting in the electric chair due to the crimes you’ve committed throughout your life. You’re thinking to yourself, why be the consequence rather than life in jail to such a diminutive crime (Self-Defense Murder)? No matter what the crime is death should not be the tool to use because it does not help the situation. The death of the criminal only brings about more hatred among the family members of the victim and the suspect. There should be a consequence for any negative action, however taking ones life may not be the correct form of punishment.

There are many alternative punishments that can be used to chastise the offender. Incarceration and life without parole may be a consequence harsh enough for the victim to learn his or her lesson. A wise man once told me, “what comes around, goes around and what goes up, must come down.” That being said, whatever crime you’ve committed, it will come back to you. In addition, the USA is unable to prevent accidental execution of innocent people. Executions cost more than life in prison, $2 million per person vs. $500,000 (4x as much!) free counsel for defense, for appeals, maximum security on a separate death row wing. “Statistics show that most people who get the death penalty are innocent white and black people” stated in an article at www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article. Also, since the DP was reinstated in 1976, 82 inmates have been freed from Death Row. That’s 1 Death Row inmate found to be wrongfully convicted for every 7 executed. These particular races of people are judged unfairly, due to the environment they come from, how they dress, and how they portray themselves’, but in reality they may be some of the smartest, kindest, most helpful people to know and may have the potential to become a positive leader in the society. How would we know that if they are wrongly accused and executed? This error rate is simply inexcusable, and completely unacceptable, when we are talking about life and death. A very similar incident happened to me some time ago; I was wrongfully accused of stealing five-hundred dollars out of a purse that belonged to one of my teachers. I refused to speak and tell who did it, so as a result my principal punished me by giving me a ten-day suspension, almost expulsion, but was not to sure who did it. Later on the principal found out who committed the crime and sincerely apologized to me. Because I am humble and not exploding, I forgave him, but I never forgot what he did to me.

Though I was punished for a crime I didn’t commit, I was still able to bounce back from the punishment. However when referring to the death penalty, after the execution is complete there’s no coming back, and in the back of your mind you’ll feel awfully guilty that the victim