There are people who have lost a loved one to murder that believe that they cannot rest until the murderer is executed, but not all of those inflicted with such a loss feel the same. Coretta Scott King said that “as one whose husband and mother-in-law have died the victims of murder and assassination, I stand firmly and unequivocally opposed to the death penalty for those convicted of capital offenses. An evil deed is not remedied by an evil deed of retaliation. Justice is never advanced in the taking of human life. Morality is never upheld by a legalized murder ” (Barzilai). Victims to the loss of a loved one do not need to reduce themselves to the evil level of the murderer, but those families need to replace their anger and hate towards the criminal in a more healthy manner for both the offender and the survivors. Although it can be easier said than done, the right to live belongs to all of the members of society regardless of what crime one has committed. It is not the right of the government, nor the right of any individual to inflict such cruel and hateful punishments onto another human being.
Beyond the statistics we can see a brutal and unnecessary punishment. There must be limits to the power that a government has, as well as the power individuals in a society have. We degrade the murderer, yet the supporters of capital punishment reserve the passion to kill. As sane people with a respect for human life and dignity, we must not turn into the vicious murderer some of us fight to kill. According to Stephen Nathanson, we must set an example of the behavior we find acceptable in society. He goes on to say that “even though this person has done wrong and even though we may be angry, outraged, and indignant with him, we will nonetheless control
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ourselves in a way that he did not. We will not kill him” ( Nathanson 137). We must not contradict the principle that murder is wrong, including the murder of a criminal. We must not kill, nor must any government hold the power to take a human life, no matter what the crime.
Outline
Outline
Thesis: It is proven that the death penalty does not deter persons from committing murder, nor does it serve as an example of the consequences of capital crimes to society.
I. US one of few to practice death penalty
A. Ineffective deterrent to murder
B. Discrimination against the innocent
C. Barbaric forms of execution
D. Immoral system is unacceptable
II. Execution influences criminal behavior more than imprisonment does
A. Only if rationally and immediately used
B. Increasing number declared unconstitutional 1976
III. Murder not always premeditated
A. Committed during emotional trauma and distress, under influence
1. Kidnaping
2. Gang violence
3. Drive-by shootings
B. Crime committed regardless of consequences
IV. Ineffective deterrent to murder
A. “Suicide by execution” syndrome
B. Few convicted commit further violent crimes
C. Alternative
V. Americans approve of death penalty
A. Prefer alternatives
1. Life imprisonment without parole
2. Financial restitution
B. Fair trials
VI. Blacks more likely to receive penalty
A. Myrdal
B. “Legacy of slavery”
C. Executed for “less than capital” crimes
1. Rape
2. Burglary
D. Juveniles
E. No higher court review
F. Color of victim
G. Women executed
VII. Fairness in capital cases
A. Common characteristics of death row inmates
1. Poverty
2. Lack of social community
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3. Inadequate legal representation
B. Smart
VIII. Irreversible
A. Innocent executed
B. 4 cases a year, not declining
IX. Immorality
A. Barbaric and unnecessary
B. 5 methods
1. Hanging
2. Firing squad
3. Electrocution
4. Gas chamber
5. Lethal injection
X. Tax dollars spent on executions
A. $1-3 million per execution
B. $500,0000 life imprisonment
XI. Punishment satisfied without killing
A. Capital Crimes other than murder
B. Albert Camus quote
XII. “Eye for an Eye”
A. Rape the rapists, etc.
B. Severity must have limits
XIII. Brutal and unnecessary punishment
A. Degrade the murderer, yet kill themselves
B. Nathanson quote
Bibliography
“Against the Death Penalty.” Amnesty International. http://www.amnesty.org
Barzilai, Harel. “The Death Penalty.” http://www.hartford-hwd.com
Dieter, Richard. “The Practical Burdens of Capital Punishment.” The Encyclopedia of Ethics.
New York: Macmillan, 1967.
Glover, Jonathan. “Deterrence and Murder.” New York: Garland, 1992.
Mappes, Thomas A., and Jane S. Zambaty. Social Ethics: Morality and Social Policy. U.S.: McGraw, 1997.
Nathanson, Stephen. An Eye for an Eye: The Morality of Punishing by Death. Totowa: Littlefield, 1987.
National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP). http://www.ncadp.org
Smart, Christopher. “Innocence Found on Death Row.” http://weeklywire.com
Warner, Ralph. “Killing Carelessly.” http://www.crimemagazine.com