The United States should retain usage of the Death Penalty

Thanks to Thett for his opening arguments. Con case:C1: DP causes psychological damageA. ExecutionersExecutions aren't done by robots; they are carried out by live humans. Executioners are empirically shown to suffer severe psychological trauma from the experience of killing other humans (1). In fact, the source lists two of them who have committed suicide from the experience. So it looks like I'm saving lives too. These people have to not only electrocute someone or inject poison into the criminal's system, but also watch as potential strugglers fighting for their lives, are forced into the chair for them to euthanize. The psychological damage is evident. Jerry Givens, a former Virginia executioner, described how mentally wrenching the process is, especially in anticipation of the death (3). In particular, finding out the possibility of innocence was extremely traumatic. As he put it, "The people who do the executions, they’re the ones who suffer through it."B. WitnessesOf course, Execution is a spectator sport. The victim's family, correctional officers, and media members are all allowed to witness the killing. For an average member of society, watching an execution is particularly distressful. NJADP confirms,"Studies have reported on the emergence of anxiety symptoms among journalists who recently witnessed an execution. Other problems reported include short-term psychological distress (such as nausea and nightmares) and dissociative symptoms." (2)C. RemnantsThe death row inmate usually isn't the only one. They will eventually leave their family behind as well. According to Sheffer and Cushing, the family of the one killed experience severe psychological trauma at knowing their loved one is going to die (4). Many of the families interviewed reported strong anxiety, and more showed signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. These symptoms are magnified once the execution has taken place. Plus, family members often watch the execution as it happens. So extend Sub Point B. Witnesses of executions sustain further mental trauma. The families of the victim are included. While public opinion polls vary on their results, all of them have the public opinion against the death penalty at around 38-52%. The problem is that the families of the victim often have no say in the prosecution seeking Death or life in prison. Take the previous statistic into consideration; whenever the death penalty is sought, the victim's family opposes it at least 38% of the time. But the prosecution fights for death anyway. Now the family has to live with two dead bodies they didn't want. Thats fair. C2: Death-qualified juriesJuries for death penalty cases are chosen selectively. In order to serve on a death penalty jury, one must support the death penalty (6)! That seems fair. Take the people biased towards capital punishment and make them decide whether capital punishment is applied. Impartiality be damned.This system is on-face illogical. However I will articulate two disadvantages anyway.A. Death penalty trials do not represent actual public opinion. Thats because every jury member is required to support, or not be against, capital punishment. So in any death penalty case, every jury member is biased towards the same side. The jury is supposed to remain impartial. Thats impossible in death penalty cases, where every jury member has the same opinion.B. Death penalty jurors empirically convict defendants more often than life-without-parole cases. This translates to a higher possibility of innocents being convicted. According to Allen and Mabry, "The summary of 14 investigations indicates that a favorable attitude toward the death penalty is associated with an increased willingness to convict. Using the binomial effect size display, this favorable attitude towards the death penalty translates into a 44% increase in the probability of a juror favoring conviction." (7)So death penalty jurors are 44% more likely to convict. Thats ridiculous; Jurors are so eager to exercise their belief towards capital punishment, that they ignore possible doubts of the defendant's guilt. The threat for innocents being convicted is infinitely higher on death penalty cases than life-without-parole cases.C3: MoralityA. Methods of executionMorality dictates that we choose the most humane action. Burning prisoners at the stake is prima facie unacceptable and should not be pursued. Life in prison is clearly a better moral alternative than Quartering or Beheading. I will argue that modern methods of execution are just as cruel and torturous as those. Electric chairAccording to the DPIC, electocution causes the prisoner's muscles to spasm uncontrollably which can cause dislocation and bone fractures. The prisoner defecates, their tissues swell, and vomiting of blood often occurs. A blindfold is applied because the electricity often causes the prisoner's eyeballs to pop out. The body often emits smoke and sometimes catches fire completely (8).Lethal injectionLethal injection contains three drugs. The first is sodium thiopental, which acts as an anesthetic and puts the prisoner to sleep. The second drug paralyzes the prisoner and induces cardiac arrest. The third stops the heart (9). This method is terrible. According to the Court of Maryland, the anesthetic/sedative effect of sodium thiopental wears off after 5 to 7 minutes (10). Death takes around 14 minutes. That means the prisoners are awake and aware during their execution, while the other drugs induce cardiac arrest and limits breathing. They cannot express their pain because they are paralyzed from the second drug. They die a painful and agonizing death.Some states have the Firing Squad and, strangely enough, the Gas Chamber as legal methods of execution. Death from these methods is also unnecessarily painful and sometimes slow. All of these methods are inhumane and violate moral standards.B. Botched executionsHuman actions are fallible; the DPIC lists 43 botched executions since 1982 (11). This demonstrates a clear threat of cruel and immoral punishment. To substantiate this, I offer the following Appeal to Emotion."Donald Harding. (Gas chamber). Death was not pronounced until 10 1/2 minutes after the cyanide tablets were dropped. During the execution, Harding thrashed and struggled violently against the restraining straps. A television journalist who witnessed the execution, Cameron Harper, said that Harding's spasms and jerks lasted 6 minutes and 37 seconds. One reporter who witnessed the execution suffered from insomnia and assorted illnesses for several weeks; two others were "walking vegetables" for several days." (12)Lethal injection in particular is prone to being botched. The Doctor's code of ethics prevents medical professionals from administering drugs for execution (13). This means that injections are often done by amateurs or people with little medical experience. Finding a suitable vein is difficult and often takes hours. Sometimes multiple injections are required, and this magnifies the pain the prisoner often experiences.From these contentions, it should be obvious that the death penalty should be abolished on both practical and ethical grounds. Links:1. http://www.njadp.org...2. ibid3. http://abcnews.go.com...4. http://www.murdervictimsfamilies.org...6. http://www.britannica.com...7. http://www.jstor.org...8. http://law2.umkc.edu...9. http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org...10. http://bitURL.net...11. http://www.clearinghouse.net... 12. http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org...13. ibid14. http://www.ama-assn.org...