The death penalty should be abolished.

When I saw you accepted this debate, I literally spit out my soda. Let's make this a hall of fame debate, but keep in mind I'm 12. For the sake of it, I'll try to use your debate format. Let's get started, shall we? ==The instigator's case== ==C1: The cost problem== The death penalty is a very high-costing type of punishment that costs taxpayers a big amount of money. For instance, Californians are forced to pay $300 million per execution [1], totaling over $4 billion for a system that has carried out no more than 13 executions [2]. Judge Arthur L. Alarcón and Paula M. Mitchell state[s], ”Since reinstating the death penalty in 1978, California taxpayers have spent roughly $4 billion to fund a dysfunctional death penalty system that has carried out no more then 13 executions.” There are 723 people on the Californian death row [3], and if all of them are carried out, it would cost over $216 billion to California taxpayers alone. In contrast, it would cost roughly $31 million [4] for each one to have a LWOP. Simply put, it would be cheaper if California, and the U.S.A, used LWOP instead of the death penalty. We really can not afford much more debt as is, and we should take any step necessary to cut our spending. Even in Texas, the state with one of the highest murder rates in the country, spends a lot on the death penalty [5]. Thus, the spending of the death penalty serves little to no use compared to the consequences that taxpayers endure. Now, we look at the possible things that the money could be used for. The biggest thing the money could be used for is extra crime deterrent. This would help not only capital crime go down, but other crime as well. If California could use the $300 million to education, police force, or any other aspect it is weak in/endangered of being weak in. While California would benefit the biggest from this, other states with high costs (most of them) would also benefit, even if not as much, from an abolishment of the death penalty. *** ==C2: Deterrent?== The above question has been repeatedly asked by both the pro and con side of the death penalty, but remains "unanswered." Answering this question would make us go deep, deep in data that is highly confusing to inexperienced people with this subject. First, we must examine the murder rates in the states of the death penalty to understand if it is a "deterrent." The FBI conducted one study and got the following data [6]. Murder rate per states with the highest-costing death penalty: 5.1 - 12.5 (per 100,000). Murder rate per states with no death penalty: 1.2 - 7.1 (per 100,000) The states that spend the most on the death penalty have the highest murder rate per 100,000, while the states with no death penalty have a significantly lower murder rate per 100,000. This suggests the death penalty does not play a significant role, if any, at deterring crime. The murder rate trend per 100,000 over time suggests the same data [7] with the states that practice the death penalty roughly .50-1 murder (per 100,000) more than states that do not practice the death penalty. Furthermore, many experts agree that the death penalty is not a deterrent . A study polling experts found that 88.6% percent do not think that the death penalty is a deterrent, while the "yes" category and the "no opinion" category are roughly the same, which is troubling. This study [8] analyzes the results of most , and finds that the death penalty is not a deterrent. Also, I am sure that my opponent would try to use the 60% drop in murders of states with the death penalty as evidence for deterrence. However, while murders in death penalty states have dropped significantly, states without the death penalty have dropped just as much. This suggests that U.S.A law and police force was responsible for this drop, not the death penalty. *** ==C3: Innocence== I'm sure you have all heard this one before: innocence. It is obvious that a few people on the death row, even a few that have been executed, were actually innocent. This means that the death penalty has wrongfully taken a life of an innocent one without good reason, which is technically the definition of "murder." Now, we look at the statistics. There have been a total of 144 people who have been released from death row by innocence [9]. This means that as much as 3.5% of the death row may actually be innocent of their convicted actions. This also means that the death penalty is carried out when people aren't positive that one actually committed a crime, which is completely inexcusable. If someone is innocent and gets put to death, there is a 0% chance that they will ever be able to live the life that they deserved.And yes, the death penalty has killed innocent people. Take Jason O'dell. There were "serious questions" surrounding his guiltiness of committing the crime. Last-minute pleas to spare him were not recognized, and he was put to death. All DNA tests were burned up after, which suggests that the U.S.A did not want to be proved accountable for putting an innocent man to death. This is completely inexcusable. There would be a 0% chance of putting an innocent man to death if the death penalty was discontinued. ***==C4: Lessons==This will be a rather short contention. The subject will be that the death penalty teaches less of a lesson, if any lesson, to the convicts. The death penalty ends life, leaving the convict with less time to realize how wrong his actions were. LWOP gives them more time to realize how wrong their actions were. Thus, people on the death penalty do not learn as much that people on LWOP do.In an unrelated note, everyone has equal rights, as many documents say. This means murderers have equal rights. This also means that murderers have the right of life, and it would be wrong to take it away from them. Two wrongs don't make a right, do they? *********I thank my opponent for his time and you for reading my arguments! I look forward to the opponent's contentions! [1] http://www.deathpenalty.org... [2] http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org... [3] http://www.theguardian.com... [4] http://www.mountain-news.com... [5] http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org... [6] http://filipspagnoli.files.wordpress.com... [7] http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org... [8] http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org... [9] http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org...