Death penalty
Assignment 3
TOPIC: Death penalty. (Is it personal? Yes. Is it interesting to me? Yes. Is it current? Yes, .it is still practiced in the United States. The topic is arguable, and so much about the death penalty can be found in the library database. Do experts argue about whether the death penalty is an effective way to reduce crime or not? Yes. Would I be willing to change my mind about the death penalty if the research showed more benefits than harm? Yes.
Death penalty affected me deeply when a friend narrated how his uncle was innocently sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. Death penalty does not offer enough time for one to be proven guilty or not. Although there are instances when death penalty is the only alternative for certain crimes, I believe that everyone deserves a second chance to correct their mistakes.
My current stance: death penalty should be abolished.
Ethos is the appeal to authority and repute of the writer or speaker.
Apart from innocent execution being irreversible, death penalty mainly affects the poor convicts who do not have enough finances to hire good lawyers. The rich individuals escape death penalty because they can hire better lawyers.
When my friend was narrating his uncle’s innocent sentence, he stated, “We could not hire a good lawyer to defend my uncle because of finances.” His words were deep as he narrated the tale to me while crying. Carlos DeLuna was my friend’s uncle who was innocently executed for a crime he did not commit.
Pathos is the appeal to emotions.
In 2004, Cameron Todd Willingham was sentenced to death for purportedly starting a fire that murdered his three daughters. After his execution, further evidence revealed that he was not behind the fire that caused the killing. With the rise in the execution of innocent individuals, death penalty should be abolished.
Logos is the appeal to logic.
Death penalty should be abolished because, from a legal point of view, death penalty is more costly to the taxpayers due to petitions procedures than the cost of imprisonment.