The Controversy Over The Death Penalty

Kawanna Simmons
Anthony Bennete
English 1A
November 24, 2012
Death Penalty Today, there is a big controversy over the death penalty, whether it is morally right or wrong. As we saw with prop 34 on the 2012 ballot the death penalty is still a highly debatable topic. Because the death penalty has never been a clear-cut solution, there is much controversy on whether it is a cruel and savage act of justice or a socialized humane source of punishment. In addition the death penalty is putting our country into more debt, since it cost twice as much to execute someone than it does to have one spend life in prison (All Cost No Benefit). Crime rates are approximately the same if not higher in states that offer the death penalty (Death Penalty Info…show more content…
Research shows that it is wrong to presuppose that possible criminals are logical people who carefully weigh their decisions before they make a crime. In fact, some crimes are not always premeditated or planned as it is likewise possible for a crime to be committed either in a state of anger or passion. Majority of crimes are even committed when the perpetrator of the crime is either under the influence of drugs and alcohol. At this point, it is inconceivable for these possible criminals to be able to carefully weigh the pros and cons of the crime that they intend to commit. Many supporters of the death penalty argue that it will deter violent crime. People of this opinion believe that speeding up the death penalty process murderers would think twice before killing, because they fear death. This idea has been shown to be entirely false. Besides, if a crime is premeditated possible criminals do not think about the penalty of death but they often think of ways to elude arrest and conviction not the fear of punishment. In fact, it has been shown that murder rates are higher in states that issue the death penalty than states with those with no form of capital punishment (Death Penalty Information). There is no conclusive evidence to prove that the death penalty deters crime. The graph…show more content…
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Comments: Kawanna, as I noted in our in-class review of your essay, your rough draft is in good shape. Most of my comments are sentence level editing issues although there are a few places where some additional support needs to be added. Your content is fairly strong as is your organization and focus.
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