Are You For Or Against The Death Penalty?

Whether you're for or against the death penalty, you should check out a new web site I've enjoyed reading called deathpenalty.org.  The purpose of the web site is to find alternatives to the death penalty.  I for one, have been against the death penalty since I first became aware of what it was.  I was on the high school debate team, and our topic was the death penalty.  We spent weeks and weeks researching the topic and had to prepare both sides of the argument, so I felt knowledgeable when I determined that my personal position was against the death penalty. Preparation for that debate is still fresh in my mind.  We spent hours in the library doing research, then writing our points on small index cards.  How much easier preparing for that debate would be today!   Many states now have introduced bills against the death penalty.  Connecticut just passed a bill to outlaw the death penalty.  Here are some facts you may or may not be aware of to enlighten you.  Whatever your position, on this or anything else, make it an informed one.

The cost of executions is staggering to taxpayers.  It costs more to execute a person than to keep him or her in prison for life.  A 2011 study found that California has spent more than $4billion on capital punishment since it was reinstated in 1978 and that death penalty trials are 20 times more expensive than trials seeking life sentences.

There is no credible evidence that capital punishment deters crime.  States without the death penalty have much lower murder rates.  The South accounts for more than 80% of US executions and has the highest regional murder rates.

Innocent people have been convicted and executed.  The wrongful execution of an innocent person is an injustice that can't be undone.  More than 150 men and women have been released from Death Row nationally...some just minutes away from execution.  In the past two years evidence has come to light which indicates that four men may have been wrongly executed in recent years for crimes they did not commit.  The error rate is appalling.

Race plays a role in determining who lives and who dies.  It plays a role in who is arrested, convicted  and ultimately what their sentence is. The poor often have inadequate legal representation.  This is a complex issue.

Capital punishment goes against most religious teachings.  It is a human rights abuse.  The vast majority of countries in Western Europe and North and South America have abandoned capital punishment in law or in practice.  The US remains in the same company as Iraq ,Iran, North Korea and China in this area.
To me, the alternative, life without parole is more sensible.  In many cases life in prison is a harsher punishment than lethal injection.  I get the feeling that many US states are leaning toward the abolishment of the death penalty.  Wherever you stand on the issue, it's good to be armed with facts, when arguing your case.