The death penalty is nothing less than evil.
- it is no deterrant
- innocent people get executed *
- the death penalty discriminates against the poor
- the death penalty is racist
- it is applied arbitrarily
- it costs taxpayers more than LWOP
- it is often politically motivated
- it is a human rights abuse to execute the mentally ill, the and children, both of which the US does
- LWOP is a real solution
But above all, executing people creates a new set of victims - the families and loved ones of the executed, who have committed no crimes of their own. Where's the sense in that?
* Last night, I went to a talk with Ryan Matthews who was exonerated on DNA evidence from LA Death Row a few months back. He is unambiguously innocent. He lost seven years of his life, nearly lost his life to the state that was determined to kill him. How many Ryan Matthews have been killed already?
The USA is a human rights abuser on this issue and must sort this out before they question other countries human rights record.
Rant over... sorry!
Just a few points. The death penalty is a deterrent, and social statistics show this. There is no evidence of an innocent person being executed. The death penalty is not inherently discriminatory, opnly iots application. These are not adequate philosophical disagreements. Cost is no issue, since justice should be applied, regardless of the price. Application is not arbitrary, there are strict rules for when the DP can be used. I've never seen a political execution in the US. The feelings of the criominals parents should not play a greater role in sentencing than victim's parents (both should play no role). The US does not execute the mentally ill, the US Supreme Court has ruled it unconstiutional. Regarding the execution of children, again this is a seperate issue from the principle of the death penalty. It is a side issue and immaterial to the central point.
Be against this for the RIGHT reasons, not the wrong ones.
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