The Death Penalty
- Grace Garner Editorial Assistant
- Feb 20, 2018
- 2 min read
An eye for an eye, a life for a life. The death penalty is a controversial topic that could be argued to the end of time. Prisoners sentenced to death instead of a life sentence being bars.
The death penalty, a government-sanctioned practice whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime. Most crimes being murders, terrorism, kidnapping, and worst. But is the death penalty a good thing, or should it be outlawed and not used anymore?
“I’m against it.” Said Alyssa Offard, a junior. “I feel that if you commit a serious crime than you should be left in jail to punish for what you did and think about what you did. But at the same time, like, if someone killed a bunch of people than, if the circumstances are that bad than I think sometimes the death penalty is okay.”
Brianna Henderson, a junior, has mixed views on it. “If they took someone’s life taken, then they should maybe have their life taken, too. But I don’t think it’s right for them to just die after taking somebody’s life. I feel like they should have time to reflect on what they did and just sit and rot in jail.”
Most people who think that the death penalty should stand, don’t think it should be wasted on just any crime. The crimes of murder, child pedaphilia, rape, kiddnaping, and mass murders like a school shooting or act of terrorism should be the ones to be put to death.
But for the people who think that the death penalty is inhumane, they have reasons to believe so. In the history of the death penalty, which goes back as far as 18 century, over 24 people were executed, but later found innocent.
“That’s outragous.” Offard commented. “That’s why it was outlawed in Illinois because many people in Chicago were on death row but they found out they were innocent and let them go.”
“I don’t feel like this can be an honest mistake.” says Henderson. “I feel that they should have the death penalty taken away because of cases like those where they were found innocent but it was too late.”
But in cases like the Boston Bombing, some people have yet to be executed for their crimes after being sentenced to death. While these people sit on death roll, they’re still sitting in prison for years waiting for their day, whenever that may be.
Henderson says you should but do it “in just time of the incident happening.” Not years later where they could’ve been sentence to life in prison without the option of parole.
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