This document discusses arguments for and against the death penalty. It argues that capital punishment should be abolished. It states that the death penalty is not an effective deterrent for criminals and kills people, sending the wrong message. It also claims that life in prison is a worse punishment and more cost effective for taxpayers. There is also a risk of innocent people being put to death with the imperfect justice system. The document concludes that the death penalty is against morality and alternatives like life in prison can rehabilitate criminals.

1. DEATH PENALTY
Professor: Mike Gulvin
COLLEGE ENGLISH II
Group Members:
Trần Hữu Minh Quân
Trương Trần Ngọc Son
Trần Nguyễn Khoa Hưng
Nguyễn Thanh Bình

2. Throughout these years, there have been several punishments which are used to deal with
specific cases of criminals. Depending on the level of severity of the crime, each punishment
would match with appropriate situations. Death is the highest level of sentences which is also
considered as the hot issue in USA as well as in all nat ions around the world. Many people
believe that the law should abolish the capital punishment because it’s against the humanity,
whereas, other people think that the law should keep the death penalty because it’s ultimate
punishment to deterrent criminals. This essay will argue why capital punishment should be
abolished by the law.
Lots of people argue that death penalty is ultimate warning and it will bring justice of the law to
victims. However, morality and ethic both play an important role in capital p unishment, when
applying death penalty, the government has sent wrong message to the citizens. The point about
killing murderers who killed people is obviously turned out to the result of “killing”. Instead of
making sure that all the criminals are warned in advance, the death penalty sends a wrong
message which is ""You killed one of us, so we'll kill you" that state the law will use murder to
punish someone who committed a murder.
Therefore, it would make people think that they kill another person by any means even if for
resisting or self - defense, they will be immediately executed by the authority and this is not the
justice which is aimed at by the law.

3. What is the purpose of punishment? (FLAMEHORSE, 2013) Let’s take a look at how parents
teach children. When the child tries some crazy dance moves that he saw on TV and then hurts
himself badly, parents might threaten him to be sure that he remembers never to do it again.
Moving on to further case, the child grows up, commits crimes, he gets caught and goes to
prison. His time in prison teaches him a lesson, isolates him from freedom and the outside
world. This is the punishment, and most people do learn from it. In general, no one wants to
commit crimes again. But what if that child murders someone for their money or just by
accident, and he is immediately sentenced to death. As a result, he is taught precisely nothing,
because he is no longer alive to learn from it. We cannot rehabilitate a person by killing him or
her. Or as in movies says, hate, revenge, and anger will never cure the emptiness of a lost loved
one. Forgiveness is the only way to start the healing process, and this won't happen in a revenge-focused
individual.
In fact, there are assumptions saying that death penalty is for people to acknowledge before
making any mistakes, arguments or contradictions leading to killing or commit crime.
According to (TUCKER, 2012), in 2011, US had a murder rate of 4.8 victims per 100,000—
meaning that nearly 14,000 people were victims of homicide that year. If the foreknowledge of
death punishment is meant to prevent the criminal from committing the crime, why do people
still murder others? According to Michigan State University ( Michigan State University Comm
Tech Lab and Death Penalty Information Center, 2001) “The U.S., with the death penalty, has a
higher murder rate than the countries of Europe or Canada, which do not use the death penalty”
Capital punishment does not properly used to be doing its job; it cannot be used to change

4. criminal’s mind about killing innocent people. If it does not deterrent the criminals, then it
serves no purpose.
The warning of life in prison is the best way to dissuade criminals. Moreover, life in prison is a
worse punishment and a more effective deterrent. With a death sentence, the suffering of the
prisoner is over in an instant. With life in prison, the pain of physical as well as mentally goes on
with them until the end of their life in prison. Prisoners are stuck to a cage where they're treated
as animals and they suffer years of mental torment when thinking about their sins. Additionally,
financial costs to taxpayers of capital punishment is several times that of keeping someone in
prison for life. People don't realize there are a lot of things that is needed for the death sentence
case such as endless appeals, variety complex procedures, and twice as attorneys to carry out one
death sentence which costs huge amount of money and 2-5 times more than keeping that same
criminal in prison for the rest of his life. According to (AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES
UNION OF NORTHEN CALIFORNIA, n.d.) The US has spent around $250 million to execute
11 criminals between 1977 and 2002, without having the death penalty, those money could have
built more public safety programs.
Not to mention, the possibility that innocent men and women may be put to death still exist.
According to (Pilkington, 2014) there are approximately 4.1% of innocent people who have been
sentenced to death since 1970s. Human have an imperfect justice system so we always make
mistakes and we can’t take a risk on people life by killing them.

5. The last but not least, the death penalty usually makes top talent lawyers work for little or even
no fee due to the case. And it also leads their personal beliefs against the morality of the death
penalty, increasing the chances releasing a guilty person. Even though most criminals cannot
afford to hire these top lawyers; a death penalty case changes everything. Clearly, the case
always gains significant media attention. Lawyers want that exposure, which enhances their
name recognition and reputation for potential future defendants.
In conclusion, the death sentence should be abolished by the law because it’s against the morality,
it doesn’t deterrent criminals and the cost of execution is higher than living in prison because of
the complicated legal process. In addition, the prison could change people's behavior and let
criminals realize their mistake and don't let them do the wrong again. Cr iminals will take a
lesson from the prison and never murder again.

6. Works Cited
Michigan State University Comm Tech Lab and Death Penalty Information Center. (2001,
November 1). Retrieved from Michigan State University Comm Tech Lab and Death
Penalty Information Center: http://deathpenaltycurriculum.org/
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF NORTHEN CALIFORNIA. (n.d.). Retrieved from
aclunc: https://www.aclunc.org/article/truth-about-life-without-parole-condemned-die-prison
FLAMEHORSE. (2013, 6 1). Listverse . Retrieved from Listverse:
http://listverse.com/2013/06/01/5-arguments- for-and-against-the-death-penalty/
Pilkington, E. (2014, 4 28). The guardian. Retrieved from The guardian Web site:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/28/death-penalty-study-4-percent-defendants-
innocent
TUCKER, N. (2012, 12 19). The Washington Post. Retrieved from The Washington Post Web
site: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/mass-killings-up-homicide-rate-down/
2012/12/19/3a87b058-4a11-11e2-820e-17eefac2f939_story.html