Griffith 1

Isaiah Griffith

Ms. Moses

English 11 Pd 1

5/29/18

Don’t add fuel to the fire. (abolish the law of the death penalty.)

Death to the death penalty. What you mean by that? You can’t kill the law! That was a joke. IN

all seriousness an issue has been on the mind of America, what is the real purpose of the death

penalty. We understand the purpose for it which is to remove criminals from this world because

of their actions which I am fine with, but that same right can be backfire and put a bad name on

the people who approve this sentence. So, what I be by death to the death penalty is that I want it

to be remove from the justice system. In 1993 the supreme court had address at Herrerav;

Collins trial, was the constitutionality of the execution of a accused who claimed actually

innocent. The supreme gave support to the possibility that the constitution prohibits the

execution of any person who conclusively demonstrate his or her innocence. At the same time,

the court held that as long as there were no other constitutional violation, “new evidence of

innocence was not reason enough for a federal court to order a new trail.” Instead, the court’s

majority recommended that those who could prove their innocence seek executive clemency

from the governor of the state. If this became a problem for so long claiming some many
innocent lives from this law, why not just abolish it. It would also save a lot of money for not

making the equipment or injections. It also shows that the criminals will have no other choice,

but to rot in their cells. So really, I want to remove the dealt penalty from the justice system from

cause of the lost or innocent lives getting taken away, a stupide amount of money is being use for

equipment, and It makes a public spectacle of an individual’s death.

The death penalty has a high risk of innocent lives being claim to it. Although there no real

telling if most of this individual are truly innocent, but either way it claims the life of another

human being, also I already have the evident to prove my claim. One of these cases is the case of

Carlos DeLuna Texas Conviction: 1983, Executed: 1989 who want convicted for the fatal

stabbing of Texas convenience store clerk Wanda Lopez in 1983.

Another case deals with man by the name Ruben Cantu Texas Convicted: 1985, Executed:

1993 and was charged with capital murder for the shooting death of a San Antonio man during an

attempted robbery. Now, the prosecutor and the jury forewoman have expressed doubts about the

case. Moreover, both a key eyewitness in the state's case against Cantu and Cantu's co-defendant

have come forward to say that Texas executed an innocent man.

One last case that had a accused Carlton Michael Gary Georgia Convicted 1986

Executed 2018 Georgia executed Carlton Michael Gary on March 15, 2018 without any

federal court revie w of substantial evidence suggesting that he did not commit the crimes for

which he was convicted and sentenced to death. Prosecutors argued that in the late 1970s a single

serial rapist and murderer killed three elderly white women and burglarized and raped a half-

dozen others with a signature style that led the media to salaciously dub him the "Stocking

Strangler." But if, as the prosecution insisted, a single person committed these murders, evidence
that was never presented to the jury and never considered by any federal court suggests that it

couldn't have been Carlton Gary. Although Gary was charged with three rapes and murders, the

prosecution presented evidence of other uncharged crimes under the theory that they had all been

committed by the same person.

So, the obvious case scenario would say that these people who were “convicted “and was

executed was innocent and that would real make the justice system have a bad reputation of

killing innocents. The idea of the death penalty in a whole Is a bad thing to even support really;

don’t you want to make the people who are convicted have a actual chance of getting out, and the

real criminals are rotting away in their on sweat, piss and other human remains! I think I went to

dark, but either the death penalty as it is give a bad reputation for those who support it and the

states that actual use it.

Firstly, Race and place determine who lives and who dies.

Those who kill whites are more likely to be sentenced to die than those who kill African-

Americans. In Oregon, prosecutors from some counties are more likely to pursue the death

penalty than others are.

Secondly, no civilian’s job description should include killing another person.

Corrections personnel involved in executions, like our military, frequently suffer PTSD from

having to kill. Perhaps there is a reason to have a defensive military, but prisoners pose no threat

to the well-being of our citizens. There is no reason to place the mental health of our corrections

workers at risk simply to pursue vengeance.

 Thirdly, Poor quality defense leaves many sentenced to death.

One of the most frequent causes of reversals in death penalty cases is ineffective assistance of

counsel. A study at Columbia University found that 68% of all death penalty cases were reversed

on appeal, with inadequate defense as one of the main reasons requiring reversal.

If those this doesn’t make your states, look bad then get some help I know a guy his name is

Dr. Phil he’s great! In all seriousness clearly, there are more cons than pros when you associate

with the death penalty. I mean do any other job would allow someone who killed another human

being; sure, you did it legally, but does it really make it any better. Either way your spending way

too much federal money for each execution for you to gain any money at all. The death penalty is

getting expensive by each time it’s been used. Like around $620,932 at least, I know I don’t even

want to deal with that.

One thing for sure of what you pay are the In 1985, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that

defense lawyers have a right to a psychiatric evaluation for their client if the prosecution gets

one. But where an IQ test and a quick interview may have been sufficient in years past, now

psychiatrists obtain an entire mental health history of the defendant. “If you're trying to speculate

about what someone with a concussion did,” said Kathryn Kase, Executive Director of the Texas

Defender Service, “a conversation with a psychiatrist might not be enough. You might need a CT

scan, or an MRI.” Experts whose specialties did not exist in earlier eras are now regularly called

in death penalty cases. “Experts may also be needed to explain why mistaken eyewitness

identification commonly occurs, or to explain why someone might falsely confess,” said Natasha

Minsker, Associate Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, in
a 2008 report. “Modern science has greatly enhanced our ability to distinguish the innocent from

the guilty and to identify the mentally ill, but all of this costs money.”

Next is the Housing. Felons sentenced to life in prison may eventually be placed in the

general population, but death row inmates are virtually always housed in administrative

segregation, or solitary confinement, which costs more per day due to heightened security. A

2014 study out of Kansas reported that a death row prisoner costs $49,380 to house per year,

whereas a general population prisoner costs $24,690. Now why would you even have to deal

with such a heavy load just to take away 1 human life? It’s make now senses especially when

there’s a place um what it called again jail was it, where you can send the criminal there to

do his life time sentence. Don’t pay for a room where you just kill 1 life each.

Now even though all that you still willing to go through this ONE execution. Some how you

manage to get pass all that money; I wish I was you. Anyway, one very last thing that you

need to get the Attorney to even to explain the execution. Both defense attorneys and

prosecutors say they spend more hours preparing for death penalty trials than in years past.

Prosecutors do not bill individual hours, but several district attorneys said they allocate more

staff to work on death penalty cases than they did in previous decades because the cases have

grown more complicated. The reasons for that will become clear below. Defense hours are

easier to track because these attorneys are usually paid by the hour. The 2010 judicial

conference report found that attorneys for defendants facing the death penalty spent an

average of 1,889 hours per trial between 1989 and 1997. Between 1998 and 2004, the

average was 3,557 hours. By 2007, according to the American Bar Association, many

counties were paying at least $100 per hour. MEN! Being a lawyer sounding nice for my life
right now if I’m getting pay that much for one execution. But really I don’t want to deal with

a lawyer

Now one good point that I acknowledge a lot and could really take out my main points.

One thing for sure if we do manage to get ride of the death penalty then jailing institutes will

be crowed up with inmates both innocent and true criminals.

Some people would think that some criminals is best to die for being too threatening to

mankind. Like people as Osama Bin Lading, and Hitler. With that I do give them credit

cause it is true, if I know that someone have the capability to maybe destroy all of human

race then its best to just remove them for this world entirely

All in all, these are just a few out of many reasons of why the death penalty should be

banned. Sure, there still those autistic people out there to support to keep it well your just sick

people are they. Never or less its is a won sided battle really. From the death penalty is taking

innocent lives, giving country’s that use it. Any its just down right expensive. This are more than

enough reason to ban the death penalty. If we still have no choices but to keep the law at least

improve it by at least making sure that the people who are convicted are truly criminals. In the

separate penalty phase of a trial, where the question is not guilt or innocence, but life or death as

punishment, a jury should be left with no lingering doubt -- no real doubt, however irrational --

about the convicted killer's guilt. Even this should not be enough to condemn a vicious predator

to die. A nearly unanimous jury should be convinced with no "lingering or residual doubt" that

the convicted murderer did it, and to "a moral certainty" that he or she deserves to die for it. No

state has adopted this higher, special burden of persuasion, but they should. Think about it, if
someone who didn’t something so despicable to you family would kill him legally and spend

thousands of dollars for his execution or who you better him off rotting in the celling with other

predators? The choose is yours.

1. “Why the death penalty be allowed?”, AllSide, 2018, ………

www.allsides.com/news/2016-10-24-1142/should-death-penalty- ….be-allowed ,

Accessed 5/21/2018.

This article from AllSides talks about around of 1,436 people were executed in the United States

from 1977 through May 2016, primarily by means of lethal injection. Most death penalty cases

involve the execution of murderers although capital punishment can also be applied for treason,

espionage, and other crimes. Also talks about how it makes the government seem as if they have

the power to take humans life way when they say. For this Opponents of capital punishment say

it has no deterrent effect on crime, wrongly gives governments the power to take human life, and

perpetuates social injustices by disproportionately targeting people of color and people who

cannot afford good attorneys. Generally stating that They say lifetime jail sentences are a more

severe and less expensive punishment than death. Personally, this source is good for who is

interested on the matter just to start off on learn the basic knowledge of it. I don’t recommend

this site for any heavy evidences. Its best-off finding something else.
2. “Why the Death Penalty should be abolished.”, International .... Commission

against the Death Penalty, June 2016, ……http://www.icomdp.org/arguments-against-the-

death-penalty/, ….Accessed ……5/22/2018

This is article tells about what and how the death penalty effects on Sayed things like how the

risk of executing innocent people exists in any justice system, the arbitrary application of the

death penalty can never be ruled out, also how the death penalty does not deter crime effectively

by giving short but descriptive details of it. In my opinion this site can give you more details of

the situation. It’s not that strong but is can be useful when looking into the problem.

3. Holloway Philip, “Death penalty: Why America needs a rethink.”,

…..Cable News Network, CNN, July 26, 2015,

…..edition.cnn.com/2015/07/17/opinions/holloway-death-penalty-…..future/index.html,

Accessed 5/22/2018

This article from an author by the name of Phillip Holloway address in detail about a murder by

the name of James Holmes who have murdered about 12 people in a movie theater in July 2012.

The Colorado jury predictably rejected his insanity defense, but that is not the end of the story.

That same jury will now begin determining whether he should be executed or serve the rest of

his life in prison. And, as a result, America once again finds itself in a virtually unique discussion

among rich nations on whether capital punishment should apply to one of its citizens. It also lists

a few reasons why the dealt penalty does make no sense from financial to just plain sanity. This

is an excellent source to look on for this topic. Could have a very strong argument with it.
4. Anderson Dave, “10 Reasons The Death Penalty Should Be Legal …..in all States.” Top 10

Lists | ListLand.com, February 21, 2016,

…..www.listland.com/10-reasons-the-death-penalty-should-be-legal/, Accessed by

5/22/2018

In Listland made by Dave Anderson he makes something like a “Top 10 List” of reason

of why the death penalty should be legal. Although I am apposed of the idea he did have

some strong reason to support his claim. He also come a brief history of a event happen

in 1968 in US v Jackson the Supreme Court started to consider the practical application

of the death penalty ruling that the death penalty could be imposed even when not

recommended by a Jury. The same year the Court ruled that a juror’s reservations to the

death penalty were not enough to bar them from serving in and of themselves unless they

were so strong as to prevent the juror from making an impartial decision. This site have to

strong body of its position and could be a great counter argument for anyone on the

matter of the death penalty for the amount of detail the person posted. In short, I do

recommend checking it out.

5. “Five reasons to abolish the death penalty – Amnesty International …..Australia.” Amnesty
International Australia, May 16 2018, …..www.amnesty.org.au/5-reasons-abolish-death-
penalty/, …..accessed 5/22/2018

In this article or site or whatever you want to call it, its consist of reasons of why the
death penalty should be abolish. Just like the previous site it contains strong points and
evident to support it. One example of their points is titled “You can’t take it back”
where’s it talks about a Texas man Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in Texas in
2004 for allegedly setting a fire that killed his three daughters. Following his execution,
further evidence revealed that Willingham did not set the fire that caused their deaths. But
it came too late. This means that whatever reason to make back for the murder for the
criminal its would be already to late, you can’t exchange anything for human life. There
are many other reasons to take form this site, and if you’re interested you can go more
into the story’s or backgrounds of those reason even further. I do recommended this site
for going more into details of the situation.

6. Dastur Zerick, “Why the death penalty should stay.”, Business …..Line, @businessline,
January 19, 2018, …..https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/why-the-death-
…..penalty-should-stay/article8054902.ece, acessed 5/22/2018