Innocent Victims of Capital Punishment are Possible Essay

Innocent Victims of Capital Punishment are Possible Try to imagine yourself being convicted of a crime you did not commit, and even worse being told you have die for that crime. This nightmare is actually a reality for some inmates on death row today. The death penalty should be abolished because the potential for even one death of an innocent man violates all principles of justice. Can the justice system ever be 100 percent right? Not likely. Then how can it administer punishment thats 100 percent irreversible (Lock Up 2)? On October 23, 1989, the phone rang at Officer Gary McLaughlins desk. He picked it up immediately answering, ‘State Police, Boston,’ from the other end of†¦show more content†¦An innocent man was convicted of a crime he did not commit. Several reasons exist. First: Bennett had a previous arrest record and he seemed to fit the description of the killer. Second: the police were under pres sure to solve the crime. And finally above all, because the public was clamoring for some way to express its indignation (for the death of Mrs. Stuart), found Willie Bennett a plausible target(Baird and Rosenbaum 97). Cases just like this one lead to innocent men found guilty with the potential of being put on death row. Today, there are over three thousand prisoners on death row. â€Å"Between 1972 and 1996, 68 death row inmates were released because proof of their innocence was found† (Acker, Bohm, and Lanier 232). Only after struggling with expensive lawyers and a harsh system of justice were Cusson 3 the majority of these prisoners finally able to receive a second chance. It is preposterous to think that of the three thousand prisoners on death row, all of them are guilty and deserve the death penalty. The death penalty is unfair for several reasons, one of them being that legal assistance for inmates on death row has become increasingly difficult to find. Prisoners on death row filing for appeal have little or no chance for receiving a fair second chance. Most of the legal work is done for free, and even lawyers dedicated to making sure these prisoners receive all their legal rights cannot be expected to spend all of their timeShow MoreRelatedCapital Punishment Should Be Abolished1137 Words   |  5 PagesThe case for capital punishment Topic: why capital punishment should continue General purpose: To argue Specific purpose: my main aim is to convince the audience that capital punishment should be upheld. In other, the advantages of capital punishment outweigh its disadvantages. Introduction Capital punishment is also known as death penalty and it has been in existence since time immemorial. 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