preview

Should The Death Penalty Be Illegal

Good Essays

In September, 1983, 11 year old Sabrina Buie was found dead. She had been beaten, raped, and suffocated. The police received a confession from 19 year old Henry Lee McCollum and 15 year old Leon Brown. Both were convicted and were sentenced to death. After spending 30 years in prison, the men were released because they were proven innocent. Another man was responsible for the crime, his name was Roscoe Artis. Henry and Leon gave false confessions, and they currently have maintained their innocence ("The Innocent on Death Row"). Capital punishment has always been an issue for a multitude of reasons. Two innocent men were almost killed because of official error and misconduct. Although the death penalty can sometimes be justifiable based on crimes, the death penalty should be illegal in the United States. Death penalty has a varying past. Capital punishment has been around for a long time. Killing people because of their …show more content…

The drugs used to inject criminals on death row are very expensive and there are sometimes shortages. If the approved lethal drugs are not available, then other methods may be approved such as an electric chair, firing squads, or nitrogen gas. Applying the death penalty using these methods can be considered controversial. Execution drugs also have to be tested and approved by the state before use. Executions have and can be delayed for months if certain drugs are not ready (Fernandez). The states that have not abolished capital punishment are have a difficult time getting the proper drugs. Many people disagree with executing criminals in certain ways. The states are wasting time and money trying to get lethal drugs with little success.
In Nebraska, where proponents of the death penalty have been fighting a vote in
May by state legislators to abolish capital punishment, prison officials

Get Access