A Letter to the PA State Legislature on the Use of the Death Penalty

Introduction

The death penalty can be described as the capital punishment which entails a government practice that orders a person to be put to death because of committing a crime (Paternoster, 1991). The sentence that comes along with the death penalty is referred to as a death sentence while the act of accomplishing it is known as execution. Crimes that fall under this type of punishment are known as capital offenses or crimes. These may include treason, murder, espionage, genocide or crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Statistics show that about 56 countries still carry out death penalty while 103 states have entirely abolished its practice (Domonoske & Gonzales, 2017). However, the remaining number of states are still in the process of eliminating it while others have reserved it for unique situations such when offenders commit capital crimes.

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My stance, therefore, considering death penalty is to oppose it. It is because of so many reasons that have been researched and well put off, and that is also why more countries have resulted in its abolition. In the following section, I will write a letter which I will address to the PA State Legislature regarding the use of death penalty as well as the expression of my opposing views regarding it. In the end, I will include a conclusion to highlight my major points which will be well described throughout the letter.

Letter Example

(Address of Sender),

(PA State Legislature Address),

19th April 2018,

Dear Sir/Madam

The aim of writing this letter is to list down the uses of the death penalty as well my expressions on why I oppose it. First, the significant purpose of death penalty is to execute punishment to offenders of capital crimes such as murder, treason, and genocide. However, the cases of the death penalty are highly reducing, and this is because human beings view it in an entirely different way (Dieter, 2014). Statistics also show that its use has decreased steadily over the last 25 years now around the globe. So many people have concluded that its purpose is a pure violation of the human right to life. Also, annual reports show that the use of death penalty nowadays is quite rare and decreasing at the same time. It is considered cruel not to have the standards of decency which are to be reflected in human beings.

This situation gives me more reasons to oppose the death penalty as well because even its use is not entirely frequent and many states have also abolished it entirely. The rest of the states are undergoing the procedures of eliminating it in the courts of law (Shetty, 2018). The eighth amendment also considers the death penalty to be unusual as well as cruel because it takes away the right to life of many human beings who happen to have committed capital crimes. The death penalty is also inhuman. It is because its execution entails hanging of a criminal so that they may die. This act is merely inhuman as no human being deserves such cruel punishment.

The death penalty is also degrading especially to the family of the criminal that is to undergo death penalty. It occurs in a way that the family even receives humiliation merely because one of their own suffered a death sentence. It makes the world relate them to evil acts and even isolate themselves from them (Christophe, 1962). Also, it is degrading to the primary victim because they always feel to have no hope left for life and only wish that there were any other way they would have been punished for their crime but still retain their life. It is because life is a precious gift to each human being by God and hence it should not be taken away by the will of the court.

I also oppose the execution of death penalty to capital offenders because it is a symbol of a culture of violence. It acts as a continuation of violence instead of stopping it to save society (Davis, 1957). When a person has been put under death penalty, other people who love them may riot and cause violence merely because they think that what was done may not be right in any manner. In the same notion, it ignites more violence instead of reducing it. At this point, I advocate for more states and countries around the globe to continue abolishing the death penalty because it is not fair to human beings regardless of the crime they have committed.

The death penalty is also a breach of the right of a human being to be free from torture. Its execution is a pure representation of how a person may be tortured. In this case, pain represents both psychological and physical dimensions. Psychological torture emanates from the brain when many people start stressing themselves out because they know they have been put under the execution of the death penalty (Paternoster, 1991). This state is a violation of human rights as every person is entitled to a peace of mind and the feeling of comfort wherever they are. It is also a torture physically in that its execution process is painful for human beings to condone and that is why it leads to death immediately. Physical pain is also well portrayed by the death penalty execution methods which may include hanging, beheading, lethal injection, electrocution or through shooting a person at the back of their head.

Also, use of death should be completely shunned by all countries because it has also been abolished by the European Convention on Human Rights (Protocol No.13) even during times of war (Domonoske & Gonzales, 2017). This statute compels it to be awful and not to be used on any human being whatsoever. Additionally, I oppose the death penalty because it is a source of execution of the innocent people. Each justice system is at the risk of human error and hence they may end up executing a completely innocent person and lead to people losing their lives for no good reason. Therefore, it should be abolished entirely.

In conclusion, the abolition of the death penalty should carry on because it is a reflection of how the poor, minority groups, racial, ethnic, religious and political groups are treated because they have no say and cannot be against it at all. Also, it is a complete violation of human rights to life and torture. Also, it does not prevent crime entirely because it also leads to its rise in the long run. Also, it can never be reversed whenever it has been executed whenever it was a mistake, and this gives many countries more reasons as to why they should entirely ban it. Hence, the above reasons show the expression of my opposing points, and therefore I would like to urge the PA State Legislature to support the abolition of death penalty and through this many lives will be saved. I look forward to a positive response on the issue concerning death penalty ban.

Yours Faithfully,

(Name)

References

Christophe, J. B. (1962). Capital Punishment and British Politics: The British Movement to Abolish The Death Penalty, 1945-57. London: Allen & Unwin.

Davis, D. B. (1957). The Movement to Abolish Capital Punishment in America, 1787-1861. The American Historical Review, 63(1), 23-46.Dieter, R. (2014). Use of the Death Penalty is Rare and Decreasing. New York Times.

Domonoske, C., & Gonzales, R. (2017). Use of The Death Penalty in U.S Near a 25-Year Low, Report Finds. NPR.

Paternoster, R. (1991). Capital Punishment in America. New York: Lexington Books, (p. 20).

Shetty, S. (2018). Death Penalty. Amnesty.