Abolish the Death Penalty: Mission Accomplished

[tmthforu94]

Abolish the Death Penalty!

Earlier today, I introduced a constitutional amendment that would abolish capital punishment in Atlasia. I want to thank Representative NeverAgain for being the first sponsor in the House. There are three main points I want to cover as to why capital punishment should be outlawed: the risk, unfairness and cost ineffectiveness.  

Carlos DeLuna died of lethal injection in 1989. In 2012, a Columbia University research team published an article claiming DeLuna’s innocence. DeLuna was charged with stabbing an individual in a gas station. The prosecution relied almost entirely on eyewitnesses who claimed DeLuna, who had been found in his vehicle several blocks away, was the man responsible. In the report, they highlighted several flaws the prosecution made: there were several contradictions in the eyewitnesses testimony and there was blood footprints leaving the scene. When DeLuna was found, there was no blood on his body. There were errors throughout the trial, and the research proved that there was not enough evidence to convict DeLuna. Yet, because Texas has the death penalty, he won’t be able to go free. His life was taken away from him at the young age of twenty-seven due to trial error.

Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, 82 inmates have been freed from death row due to wrongful convictions. Why are we willing to take such a risk when an individual may still be innocent? Any form of "justice" that creates the risk of an innocent person dying is not justice.

Second point: The death penalty is handed down arbitrarily and can largely depend on the quality of your lawyer, hence why high-income criminals have a far less rate of receiving the death penalty than those of lower incomes. Gary Ridgeway was convicted of killing 48 prostitutes and runaways, and he admitted that there were even more he killed. Yet, as part of a plea deal, he avoided the death penalty. In Alabama, however, David Hocker was executed after a one-day trial in which the jury was unaware he had a mental illness. Another elderly man who had been on death row for twenty-seven years was executed despite the fact he was dying with cancer. The unfair nature of handing out the death penalty just adds to the reasons why it is not good policy. Additionally, there isn't strong proof showing that instituting the death penalty has decreased crime rates. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, statistics prove that states without the death penalty actually have a lower crime rate. In 2011, there was an 18% higher rate in states with the death penalty. That number has been as high as 42% in 2005.

Finally, a point to appeal to the fiscal conservatives - the costs. When capital punishment is sought, multiple trials and appeals are held, making it much more expensive for the state to seek the death penalty than life without parole. A study by the Sacramento Bee in 1988 said abolishing the death penalty would save the state $90 million a year – imagine what it would be today. California has spent over four billion dollars on executions since 1976 and have only executed 13 people in that time. Now, I've heard some argue that we should speed up the process rather than let all this money be spent - as I said earlier, there have been countless wrongful executions, so this process has been what allowed countless innocent individuals to walk free.

The reasons to abolish the death penalty go on and on: trial errors still occur, which could cause the death of innocent civilians. The handing out of the death penalty is unfair and gives advantages to those more fortunate. It costs more than it would to give an individual life without parole. It does nothing to reduce the crime rate. What are we teaching the children? That we should kill someone to prove that killing is wrong? I believe in the right to life from conception to natural death. Abolishing capital punishment isn't a conservative or liberal position - it is a common sense position.

Atlasia repealed the death penalty several years ago. With a new constitution in place, it is time for Atlasia to join other developed nations and makes the death penalty illegal – choose life.


What can you do to help? Contact your senators and representatives and tell them to VOTE YES on Senate Bill 2016-003. We can ensure this makes a public vote by PMing your legislators - they are here to represent you! Let your voice be heard. Here is a list of all legislators in Atlasia:

Senate of the Republic of Atlasia
Pingvin - Opposes Abolishing Death Penalty
Tmthforu94 - Lead Sponsor in Senate
JoMCar - Supports Abolishing Death Penalty
Goldwater - Opposes Abolishing Death Penalty
Blair - Supports Abolishing Death Penalty
Smith - Supports Abolishing Death Penalty

House of Representatives of the Republic of Atlasia
Dkrolga - position not determined
darthebearnc - position not determined
Classic Conservative - Opposes Abolishing Death Penalty
JohanusCalvinusLibertas - position not determined
Haslam2020 - position not determined
ClarkKent - Supports Abolishing Death Penalty
North Carolina Yankee - position not determined
Evergreen - Supports Abolishing Death Penalty
NeverAgain - Lead Sponsor in House

If you're a legislator in support of this constitutional amendment, please state your support in this thread!

[tmthforu94]

For reference, here is the amendment in question:

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I have assigned it Senate Bill 2016-003. The most pressing order in the Senate currently is to determine the rules of the body. Once those are set, I will immediately bring these to the floor.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Not a member of the Senate or House, but I support.

[windjammer]

Just curious Senator, if your effort fails in the legislative bodies, what are you going to do after that???

[Clark Kent]

I fully support abolishing the death penalty. Pro-life means pro-life in ALL cases.

[tmthforu94]

Just curious Senator, if your effort fails in the legislative bodies, what are you going to do after that???

As I stated during my campaign for senate, I will continue to push for this each cycle until it reaches a public vote. It took several tries last go-around before it passed and it may be the same this time.

That being said, I believe the arguments are strong for passage of this constitutional amendment, and with the help of The People, I believe we can convince Congress to pass it the first time.

[windjammer]

Just curious Senator, if your effort fails in the legislative bodies, what are you going to do after that???

As I stated during my campaign for senate, I will continue to push for this each cycle until it reaches a public vote. It took several tries last go-around before it passed and it may be the same this time.

That being said, I believe the arguments are strong for passage of this constitutional amendment, and with the help of The People, I believe we can convince Congress to pass it the first time.

Thank you for your answer,
I was curious to see if the death penalty could be one of the first court cases of the new Supreme Court

[Anna Komnene]

I would support this if I'm elected to the Senate.

[NeverAgain]

It's up in the House now. Let's get this done!

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

KEEP OLD SPARKY!







(No, I fully support this measure)

[Clyde1998]

Not a member of the Senate or House, but I support.

[Pragmatic Conservative]

Not a member of the House or Senate, but I will enthusiastically support this amendment, time we stop using the Death Penalty. 

[Blair]

X Senator Blair

Will be looking forward to working on this issue with people from all parties

[LLR]

x LLR

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

x Harry S Truman, former Senate Speaker & candidate for President

[Mike Thick]

"It's time we send the death penalty to the electric chair."

Seriously, I fully and enthusiastically support this. It shouldn't be up to men to make such a permanent and irreversible judgement.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

To the supporters and opponents of this legislation, what about those tried and convicted of treason (citizens pledging to terrorist groups like ISIS and committing acts like in Orlando or San Bernideno)

How would this affect military courts and tribunals?

[tmthforu94]

To the supporters and opponents of this legislation, what about those tried and convicted of treason (citizens pledging to terrorist groups like ISIS and committing acts like in Orlando or San Bernideno)

How would this affect military courts and tribunals?

As stated in the amendment, this would apply to the civilian court of law.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Seriously, I fully and enthusiastically support this. It shouldn't be up to men to make such a permanent and irreversible judgement.

Not only that, it actually costs more to execute criminals than it does to sentence them to life-in-prison (due to the costs of mandatory appeals and other safeguards). There is literally no rational argument, moral or fiscal, in favor of maintaining the death penalty.

[Classic Conservative]

Seriously, I fully and enthusiastically support this. It shouldn't be up to men to make such a permanent and irreversible judgement.

Not only that, it actually costs more to execute criminals than it does to sentence them to life-in-prison (due to the costs of mandatory appeals and other safeguards). There is literally no rational argument, moral or fiscal, in favor of maintaining the death penalty.

That is a lie. There is a moral arguement which is stated as a Commandment of the LORD in Exodus 21: 23-25 which states "But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

[Wisconsin+17]

Send them to Texas. We've got ways to deal with them here.

[tmthforu94]

Seriously, I fully and enthusiastically support this. It shouldn't be up to men to make such a permanent and irreversible judgement.

Not only that, it actually costs more to execute criminals than it does to sentence them to life-in-prison (due to the costs of mandatory appeals and other safeguards). There is literally no rational argument, moral or fiscal, in favor of maintaining the death penalty.

That is a lie. There is a moral arguement which is stated as a Commandment of the LORD in Exodus 21: 23-25 which states "But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

I generally try to keep religion out of political discussions, but I have to quote what Jesus said from the Sermon on the Mount:

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[Mike Thick]

Seriously, I fully and enthusiastically support this. It shouldn't be up to men to make such a permanent and irreversible judgement.

Not only that, it actually costs more to execute criminals than it does to sentence them to life-in-prison (due to the costs of mandatory appeals and other safeguards). There is literally no rational argument, moral or fiscal, in favor of maintaining the death penalty.

That is a lie. There is a moral arguement which is stated as a Commandment of the LORD in Exodus 21: 23-25 which states "But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

This is a secular government, and although I am a Catholic I don't think we should be making our policy based on the Bible. And if we're going to, what tmth said.

[Leinad]

I emphatically agree, Tmth.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the laws of the Pentateuch were for the people of Israel, not the US/Atlasia?

[Blair]

 Eat Josiah Barlet! [/img]