The prohibition of the death penalty.

The use of the death penalty in the United States of America, is a terrible practice and should be banned for the following contentions: 1. Irreversible Mistakes 2. Costs 3. Weak form of Justice 4. Unalienable RightsContention 1: Irreversible MistakesA. Killing of innocent people - The object of the justice system, and the establishment of it, was to provide justice for the crimes committed to the persons, places, or things by which it is obligated to protect, and to provide proper judgement in the case of legal disputes[1]. The object of the justice system was not to kill innocent people, as it is murder and unethical and detrimental to the country as a whole. If just one innocent person is killed through the justice system, it has not done its job and contributes to the illegal crimes by which it prosecutes. B. The possibility of an innocent killing - Since 1989, over the last 23 years, more than 2000 people have been convicted of a crime, and then had their ruling changed to innocent while they were in prison[2]. Compare these numbers to the amount of people who have been sentenced and/or put to death in 2010, which was over 3000[3]. This leaves the possibility that out of those 2000 people set free, all of them could have been on death row and/or killed, which is unjust.C. Irreversibility - When someone is killed by the state through the death penalty, there is no possibility of bringing those people back if later found to be innocent. Death is irreversible, and cannot change. Therefore if an innocents persons life was taken, it cannot be recovered to allow that person to live their life freely. With the fact that there is no coming back from this there is the clear possibility that a man, deemed innocent but proven guilty, could have been executed.D. Troy Davis - By far one of the premier cases in 2011 was the one involving Troy Anthony Davis. For those unaware, Troy Anthony Davis was executed by the state of Georgia on September 21, 2011. The odd problem with this case, is that substantial evidence was not there to justify this killing. There was no evidence to show he was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This is an example of a man who could be later proven innocent of his "crime", but by then it will be too late, he will be already dead. Contention 2: Costs A. The prices of death row - Allow me to direct your attention to the following statements "Death penalty cases are much more expensive than other criminal cases and cost more than imprisonment for life with no possibility of parole. In California, capital trials are six times more costly than other murder trials.(1) A study in Kansas indicated that a capital trial costs $116,700 more than an ordinary murder trial.(2) Complex pre-trial motions, lengthy jury selections, and expenses for expert witnesses are all likely to add to the costs in death penalty cases"[4] .B. Layoffs of Law Enforcement officers - The immense costs of death row inmates, are purely detrimental to the budget of prisons and states. In January, the Jacksonville Sheriff's office alone laid off 50 police officers[5]. The loss of these 50 police officers in the state of Florida are critical to the safety of the citizens and people in that area. Not to mention, that there have been other layoffs which have taken place in other cities.C. Release of criminals - Florida released 3,000 inmates due to a budget cut, but in 1988 executed 18 people at a costs of 57.2 millions dollars[4]. This is a terrible practice to have, because it can lead to the release of convicted criminals back into the areas of the free population. This contributes to the dangers that legally free citizens and innocent people have to face, and in turn jeopardizes the safety of millions of peopleContention 3: Weak Form of JusticeA. It can be a way of avoidance - The criminals convicted in crimes that are punished by the death penalty, don't serve out life sentences, unless the judgment is decreased to a life sentence. The fact that the death penalty ends this person's life is an avoidance of what they should be subjected to. If a person is killed they don't have to live their life anymore with the guilt of the crime they committed, or endure the conditions of prisons. Sure, some families will see it as good that the person who killed their "loved one" or "sibling" is being put to death. But many of the families disagree with this, because they either don't believe in putting someone to death, or they believe that the person should be forced to live out their days, within the confines of a prison setting.Contention 4: Unalienable RightsA. The Declaration of Independence - If a person should read the Declaration of Independence, which was put into action July 4, 1774, they will come across the words "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"[6]. In having a death penalty within the United States, the states are merely contradicting and degrading the very people who helped make the USA into a "free country". The fact that the states are controlling the lives of people and "playing God" as some would say, is completely and utterly wrong. Even though these people have in almost all cases, have been convicted of killing, the government shouldn't be able to say who lives or who dies. Especially in the case of American citizens.I now turn the debate over to Con.[1]. http://www.uscourts.gov...[2]. http://www.cbsnews.com...[3]. http://www.guardian.co.uk...[4]. http://www.fnsa.org...[5]. http://www.huffingtonpost.com...[6]. http://www.ushistory.org...