Resolved: The United States should retain Capital Punishment for murder.

=Definitions= Death Penalty: "The punishment of execution, administered to someone convicted of a capital crime. "[1] Capital crime: "A crime that is punishable by death"[2] I reserve the right to add more definitions later. =Case= (I am sorry that point 1 is the same as your SPB, I am NOT refuting SPB yet) Point 1 Deterrence: The death penalty is NOT a deterrent. For example, in 1976 there were 0 accounts of the death penalty being issued and the murder rate was 8.8. Now we jump ahead to 1979. There were 2 accounts of the death penalty and the murder rate was 9.7. (These are ratios) Moving ahead to 1990. 23 executions and a 9.4 murder rate and so on and so forth. (ACLU #3) I could go on but I feel I have made my point regarding deterrence but if need be I will pull more evidence in. Point 2 Cost: It is actually more expensive than locking someone up. For example, in California "The additional cost of confining an inmate to death row, as compared to the maximum security prisons w here those sentenced to life without possibility of parole ordinarily serve their sentences, is $90,000 per year per inmate. "[4] The costs of the death penalty system are about $137 million per year whereas a new reform where a maximum life sentence would be issued would cost $11.5 million per year. [4] This is a huge difference and shows the massive costs associated with the death penalty. Point 3 Wrong person: It is entirely possible that one could kill the wrong guy. If this is the case there is nothing you can do. He is dead and cannot be brought back. All that the state can do is say "Whoops, my bad" and give money to the grieving family whereas if the person is in jail and they then see he is innocent, he is still alive and can live the rest of his life. Point 4 cruel: The death penalty is flat out cruel for numerous reasons. First off, hanging is still utilized in 3 states and with hanging comes the inherent possibility for mess ups. The drop must be just right or the person has an agonizing death or has their head ripped off. Here a proponent of the death penalty will argue that electrocution is a humane way to kill someone but this is just not the case. For starters it is unknown how long a person is conscious whilst being electrocuted which shows that there is a huge possibility for inhumane treatment.5 Here is a quote regarding the electrocution of John Evans in 1983: "At 8:30 p. m. the first jolt of 1900 volts of electricity passed through Mr. Evans' body. It lasted thirty seconds. Sparks and flames erupted … from the electrode tied to Mr. Evans' left leg. His body slammed against the straps holding him in the electric chair and his fist clenched permanently. The electrode apparently burst from the strap holding it in place. A large puff of grayish smoke and sparks poured out from under the hood that covered Mr. Evans' face. An overpowering stench of burnt flesh and clothing began pervading the witness room. Two doctors examined Mr. Evans and declared that he was not dead. .. " (they had to electrocute him three times before he was killed. Humane? I think not)5 Again, a proponent could say that the lethal injection is more humane but the evidence regarding it's humaneness is inconclusive. The US Court of Appeals said this regarding the lethal injection: "substantial and uncontroverted evidence… that execution by lethal injection poses a serious risk of cruel, protracted death…. Even a slight error in dosage or administration can leave a prisoner conscious but paralyzed while dying, a sentient witness of his or her own asphyxiation. "5 There have also been reports of drug users being stabbed randomly because their veins could not be found (due to frequent use of illicit drugs)5 Point 5 Not a punishment: With life in prison the murders have to live with the guilt of what they have done, they must be forced to live in small areas and prisons are often over crowded and filthy. This thought alone would provide a better deterrent than the death penalty would. Also, the death penalty is essentially an easy way out for killers who have felt like they have martyred for their cause. It is an honor to die for ones cause and we are merely showing that they have done something we deem bad and we will just give them an easy way out. Point 6 Hypocritical and breeding of revenge: All the death penalty is doing is showing that if you kill someone we will be mad and kill you. It's essentially this "we kill people who kill people to show other people that killing people is wrong", it makes us look like morons. Also, all the death penalty does is show that we are a society built on revenge. It shows that revenge is okay. On the outside some people would argue that this is a fine message to send but then let's think, what if your neighbor hits you with his car on accident, you see that the state says revenge is okay so you hit him with yours. All this will do is lead to an endless eye for eye cycle. ==I reserve the right to bring in more evidence later== 1: . http://www.google.com... 2: . http://www.google.com... 3: . http://www.aclu.org... 4: . http://www.deathpenalty.org... 5: . http://www.aclu.org...