Death Penalty

Here's my defense against my opponent's rebuttals.Defense I : RightsMy opponent claims that, because of the time the Declaration of Independence was written, they'd never know how we'd punish criminals today. But this contradicts that statement:"This means that nobody - including the government - can try to end your life. It also means the government should take appropriate measures to safeguard life by making laws to protect you and, in some circumstances, by taking steps to protect you if your life is at risk. Public authorities should also consider your right to life when making decisions that might put you in danger or that affect your life expectancy." [1]There are only four exceptions to this and none of which would make the death penalty acceptable. "Article 2 is often referred to as an â€˜absolute rightâ€™. These are rights that can never be interfered with by the state. There are situations, however, when it does not apply."For example, a personâ€™s right to life is not breached if they die when a public authority (such as the police) uses necessary force to:"stop them carrying out unlawful violencemake a lawful arreststop them escaping lawful detainment, andstop a riot or uprising." [1]Here's another quote to really hammer in my point:"What the law says"Article 2: Right to life"1. Everyoneâ€™s right to life shall be protected by law. No one shall be deprived of his life intentionally save in the execution of a sentence of a court following his conviction of a crime for which the penalty is provided by law."2. Deprivation of life shall not be regarded as inflicted in contravention of this Article when it results from the use of force which is no more than absolutely necessary..." [1]Defense II : CostsYes, a plea bargian will reduce the costs like my opponent said, but not every case will end in a plea bargain. That's a fact. Yes, it's a high number of 90% [2], but in no way is that all cases. The cost is high regardless.My opponent goes on to say that we aren't debating the current system, but the death penalty in general. Regardless, the cost is high. Can my opponent deny this?Defense III : InnocentsMy opponent claims that since the rates of the death penalty "gone down", the rates of innocent people being executed will surely go down. In fact, this notion is wrong. Why?"From 1973-1999, there were an average of 3.03 exonerations per year. From 2000-2013, there have been an average of 4.29 exonerations per year." [3]This shows that the rates have actually gone up. But that's besides the point. One in 25 innocents are killed with the death penalty. [4] This still proves my point that innocents are killed by the death penalty. My opponent can't deny this. With a life sentence, if the inmate is innocent, you can let them out. Can you do that is someone is killed with the death penalty?Defense IV: Racial Prejudice"According to a recently updated study by Professor Katherine Beckett of the University of Washington, jurors inWashington 'were four and one half times more likely to impose a sentence of death when the defendant was black than they were in cases involving similarly situated white defendants.'" [5]"From initial charging decisions to plea bargaining to jury sentencing, African-Americans are treated more harshly when they are defendants, and their lives are accorded less value when they are victims. All-white or virtually all-white juries are still commonplace in many localities." [6]Defense V: Closure"What does it mean to get over grief? It means not being in pain over our loss forever. We tend to think discomforts are permanent, and good feelings are only temporary. Pain can be temporary too. We don’t forget or stop loving the person we loved, but we don’t always have to grieve. We can love and remember without pain. Ultimately, grief does subside." [7]Grief doesn't magically go away. Like I said in my opening statements, only 2.7% of cases bring closure. And where do they get the money to support these families? How do we support them? Can't a life sentence be a viable option?Citations:[1]https://www.equalityhumanrights.com...[2]http://criminal.findlaw.com...[3]http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org...[4]http://www.newsweek.com...[5]http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org...[6]http://www.amnestyusa.org...[7]http://www.judytatelbaum.com...