Eng 112 - the Death Penalty Should Not Be Banned in North Carolina

Emily R. Reynolds

Instructor Mann

English 112

23 June 2011

The Death Penalty Should not be Banned in North Carolina

The topic of the death penalty, also known as capital punishment, brings mixed emotions for many people. There are many issues which much be addressed in order to prove that the death penalty should not be banned. Some of which are that DNA testing eliminates innocent people from being falsely accused, ex-prisoners and parolees have the opportunity to commit crimes again, and it gives the families of the victims' closure. There is much debate as to whether the death penalty should be banned in North Carolina and whether it is a fair practice to administer. Capital punishment is a method that truly deters criminals from committing crimes. They steer clear of breaking a law that had another criminal put to death and of course this prevents them from becoming a repeat offender. After all, the purpose of our criminal justice system is to protect the rights of life, liberty, and property for all it's citizens.

Before stating valid reasons supporting the continuation of the death penalty, it is crucial to address our opponents ideals on the matter. Opponents of the death penalty argue that poor people and members of minority groups receive a disproportionate number of death sentences. Yet some researchers have challenged this view (Rothman and Powers, Cole and Smith 411). For the most part they are against capital punishment because they believe it to be morally unacceptable. They fear the innocent might be put to death while the guilty are free to roam the streets. After all, five innocent people have been falsely accused in North Carolina, and all of them were exonerated on death row. Samuel A. Poole, Christopher Spicer, Timothy Hennis, Alfred Rivera, and Alan Gell (Deadline, Web). They were all released, but they all served between one and six years before they were set free (Deadline, Web). They also believe it to be a violation of the 8th amendment of cruel and unusual punishment.

Like the opponents I used to believe it to be unfair because innocent people could be executed and the real murderer would be free, laughing that they didn't get caught. However, with the recent advances in DNA research this belief of mine has shifted. This nearly eliminates the chances that an innocent person will be convicted of crime they didn't commit, let alone executed! DNA research is now over 99 percent effective (Messereli Web). In addition, even if DNA testing didn't exist, the process of appeals and trials is so thorough that it is extremely unlikely that an innocent person could be falsely accused (Messereli Web).

The death penalty should also not be banned because parolees and escapees have the opportunity