English 01
August 28, 2010

Death Penalty





“We love each other no matter what happens”, were the last words of Khayyam and Siddiga, before they were stoned to death. The first stoning occurred Wednesday, August 18, 2010 in Afghanistan ever since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. As this afghan couple were stoned to death, there family and neighbors surrounded them as this gruesome punishment finished there lives. The method of execution by stoning still remains a legal punishment in several other countries. They include Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi, Arabia, Sudan, Yemen. There are currently around 3,300 men and women on the death row across the country. The death penalty should not be allowed any where. It is cruel and wrong! No one has the right to take away human life. “The death penalty is a murder America is trying to punish these murders with more crime…if it is not okay for them to do it, why is it okay for the government to?” wrote tiffany fox Burchett on the state line blog.



There is different ways in which you could be put to death. 11 states kill by gas chambers, 10 states by electric chairs, Oklahoma and Idaho by a firing squad. New Hampshire and Washington hang them, and 35 states use the drug lethal injection. The drug lethal injection is an IV that causes unconsciousness. Then a paralyzing agent stops the breathing muscles and finally a shot of potassium chloride stops the heart. The last time I heard about using this kind of injection was on dogs. This cruelness will continue to dehumanize our society.



In 1948 the declaration of human rights states that no one should be punished in any cruel or degrading way. The death penalty violates both of these human rights. As years passed they worked on abolishing the death penalty, but it yet has not been abolished. Around 139 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. On average, in the past decade more than 3 countries a year have abolished the death penalty for all the crimes. Execution still occurs all over. The death penalty is used as a tool to forever silence political opponents. This means that politics play a really small role in this debate. Many opinions will not matter.



There is not just forced executions, there is also voluntary executions. 11% of the executions are volunteered. The reasons for these suicides are either they do not want to be in prison for life, their physically or mentally ill, and because they are powerless. Jail is more than enough to ruin some ones life. When a mistake is made there is always a consequence to it, but it should only be to a certain extent. There is no need for all this nonsense.



Lots of people are for the death penalty because there is many prisoners in jail every year. In December 31, 2008 754 prisoners per 100,000 us residents were put in jail, this causes a lot of loss money. Having the death penalty does not save much money. Right now the governor of California is wanting to borrow 64 million dollars form the general fund, to build a new death row facility. This new facility is expected to total up to 400 million dollars, totaling to 1 billion a year. Think about the help those billions of dollar can do to help a community out, it can save lives by giving to the hungry, homeless, and the ones in need for help.



The death penalty causes more than enough problems. It just does not cause dehumanization or devastation, it causes money loss, it does no good. If this problem is not abolished soon. The punishments will soon get worse and what is not crime now, will be known as crime later on. Jail is all it takes there is no need for executions. Its wrong to take human life away. Everyone deserves a second chance your nobody to be judging somebody else’s life when no one in this world is perfect.