As always my pieces of writing are very opinionated so... be ready for that lol.
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Question: Tired of the topic of capital punishment; why or why not?
I both like and dislike hearing others speak on the topic of capital punishment. I dislike it because of ignorant views and because I don’t understand why the government and legal system in America haven’t begun conducting DNA testing on every prisoner, especially those on death row, before execution.
On the other hand, I am thankful to hear others speak of it because people need to be more aware of the atrocities committed against innocent people. Imagine it were your brother, uncle, father or husband that was wrongfully convicted for a crime he didn’t do, put on death row then executed… Only to find out afterwards he was proved innocent, as shown by DNA testing. Every person on Death Row should be tested before they face death; not after. DNA testing is proving more and more people in prison and/or on death row as innocent, but not all people are given such an opportunity and that is an unjust, biased tragedy America needs to fix.
Take, for example,
Willie J Manning, convicted for murder and facing death in by the state of Mississippi. Numerous times he requested to have DNA testing done to evidence, but the courts rejected him every time. Mr. Manning’s brother and the Mississippi Innocence Project are suing the to ensure evidence be preserved for DNA testing, while Mr. Manning’s attorney and the F.B.I. continue to lobby against the Mississippi governor who has continuously rejected the chance for this man to prove his innocence.
DNA testing shouldn’t be up to the state; DNA testing can save lives and should be federal law. No judge, governor or any one else in authority should be able to deny a person the right to prove their innocence.
The actions or inaction regarding those on death row and DNA testing is sickening. In a study done by the University of Columbia a heartbreaking 82 percent of people who have received the death penalty were later found to be innocent. One in twenty inmates found to be not guilty. The problem is too many are found not guilty after they’ve paid with their life for a crime they did not commit. Additionally, let’s not forget the real rapists or murderers remain threats and on the streets. This fact alone tells us how America can be the most violent nation (yet have the highest prison population...for drug offenses).
Concluding, overall I am more thankful to hear people discussing capital punishment than not; so long as it is talk of how to bring justice and humane treatment towards the innocence people damned to die for crimes another committed; not grouping all those convicted as guilty before they’ve had a chance to prove their innocence. Everyone should have that chance and the numbers of innocents murdered and found out after their life has been wrongful should prove that we have a serious problem within our ‘justice’ system.
