JennaMann#11 8B11/23/13

DeathPenaltyOpeningStatement
The reason why the death penaltyshould bedisposedof issimple. It iswrong.Itis wrong because it supplies us humans with a dreadful power, which only inspires hate in our hearts.Notjustice,orclosure,justhate.Itmakesusdesirethekilling,nomatterhowawfulit maybe. Besidescorruptinghumans,ithaskilledinnocentpeople. You cant kill someonefor a crime theyhave notcommitted.Theremayhavebeen a time where a person has been sentenced to death for a murder they did not commit. If then, evidence isfoundproving thatthe person in questiondid not committhemurder,thenhow are yougoing to fix what has beendone? Noonehasthepowerofresurrection,therefore, youhavejustkilledaninnocentperson. Ifafugitivehasbeencaughtoncemore, thentheydeservetobeplacedinjail,itiswrongto killthem,no matterwhattheyhavedone.Allthatdoes,ismakeyouamurdereryourself.By thattime, thecycle will repeat. Simply,you murder amurderer, then youyourselfbecomes a murderer. After that, you yourself must be killed, or else the death penalty is notbeing correctly applied. If you are killed, thatdoesnotstop anything,thatjustmakesthecyclego onandonandon. Another unfair advantage of the death penalty, is how it affects each race. White killers, rapists, and drug dealersarefrequently lessthreatened than those ofother races.Ending in 1963, 18 people werekilledinNewYorkStateoutofallofthem,onewasHispanic,and thirteen were black.AmInotaloneinspyingtheunfairnessofthis?Isitjust,tokillsomeone who is darkskinned for a murder, while someone bearing whiteskin may only be sentenced to prison? In October 1980, a study was published in Crime & Delinquency which found that, of blackpeoplein Florida whocommit murder, those whokill whitesare nearlyfortytimesmorelikelytobesentencedtodeaththanthosewhokillblacks. Theanswerisintelligible:no,itisnotfair. Donot fight firewithfire,is anoldsayingthatfitsthissituationverysufficiently.Itcanimply the wrongness of, You kill my son, I kill yours. In this case, killing people is the fire. If someone kills your son, yes, you will havehatred for them, but thatdoesnotgive you the righttokilltheirsonjustbecauseyouwantrevenge. Another unfair partof the death penalty, isthatmanyofthepeoplesentencedtodeath row are men. The percentage, ninetynine percent. Even more, it does not make sense that parentsaretellingtheirchildrennottokillpeople,yethereweareyearslater,killingpeople. Thismakesusnobetterthanthemurderersweourselvesarekilling. Thequestion of thedeathpenalty,is notwhethermurderersandother criminalsdeserveto

beexterminated or not, the real questionis if otherhumanshavethe righttokillthem.Who gives the right to kill someone? Is it determined by ones own self? Who can possibly containthepowerandfragilesituationofdecidingsomeonesfate? Nooneshould. Thedeathpenalty iswrong,becauseofalloftheinformationIhave justpresentedyouwith. Apersonwho is killed foracrime, but islater foundtobeinnocent,doesnotgetasecond chance.Sowhatcanbedoneaboutthis? Youcantdietwice.