Should we have a death penalty?
The death penalty is government-approved punishment by death.
One side says:
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Too many innocent people are on death row.
More than 100 prisoners on death row have been found to be innocent. It's better to keep some murderers alive (and in prison), than to put innocent people to death.
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We apply the death penalty unfairly.
If the defendant can afford a good lawyer, he or she is much more likely to avoid the death penalty.
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The death penalty is not a good use of tax dollars.
California has spent $300 million per execution since 1978. That money would be better spent on more policing and crime prevention.
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An eye for an eye is vengeance not closure.
It's a barbaric way of thinking. We don't punish rape with rape, or arson with arson. It's certainly not what Jesus believed.
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The death penalty is a form of torture.
Even if the execution itself is "painless" – and so would being pushed off a cliff – years of waiting on death row is clearly a form of torture, and unconstitutional.
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Death Penalty: Justice, or Just Too Far? -
Jeremy Irons talks about the death penalty
The other side says:
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The death penalty provides closure for families.
It's society's way of restoring the balance of justice for the taking of a life. It honors the family and the victim. It allows healing.
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Some crimes are just so awful that they deserve the death penalty.
Many crimes are about people making (bad) mistakes, and redemption makes sense in these cases. Other crimes are pure evil, and those are the ones that deserve the death penalty.
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The death penalty deters the worst crimes.
Deterrence is the basis of our entire criminal justice system. Death is the scariest punishment, and the most effective way of deterring the worst crimes.
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5 Arguments For the Death Penalty -
Klass interview