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Death Penalty

 

            Since the first civilized cultures emerged and created the concept of capital punishment various government through out history have been putting people to death. In many cultures these killings were sources of entertainment where the entire town would gather to watch. Some methods that were utilized were quite messy and inhumane such as when the convicted were beheaded, stoned or disemboweled. Since such crude times, more sophisticated and technological means have been developed. Regardless, the sick desire to watch someone be killed remains inside of us. With the recent execution of Timothy McVeigh, I was disgusted with the propaganda. People were selling tickets on Ebay and celebrating a death of an individual. On the matter of capital punishment, I whole-heartedly agree with Sister Helen Prejean, the author of Dead Man Walking. In this book, Sister Helen displayed her belief that a human being is worth more than his/her worst act. Beside the immorality of the death penalty its fundamental dynamic just don't make sense. Contrary to popular belief, it does not deter crime, it is expensive, and justice is not always served and is hypocritical. .
             Various methods of government sponsored killings have been developed. The five used in the United States today are electrocution, hanging, firing squad, lethal injection, and lethal gas. From 1977-1990 143 people were executed and three people in 2002 have already been executed. Nine of the 143 were juveniles. Most of people executed had committed murder or were accomplices of murders. This statistic proves the hypocritical nature of the death penalty. We are attempting to stop people from murdering by murdering them. .
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             Many supporters of the death penalty believe that it is less expensive to kill the criminal than to keep him alive for the rest of his life. The facts prove that the reality is quite the opposite. The average cost from point of arrest to execution is $1 million to $3 million per case while the average cost for people sentenced to life in prison is $500,000, including incarceration costs.


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