Help with LD Debate!!!!?
I have no idea what im doing what are some good ways to start this debate (intro definitions ect.), and some good points!??
"a just society ought not to use the death penalty as a form of punishment"
How can a just society (however you define it) use a system of dubious value in keeping us safe by preventing or reducing crime, while risking the executions of innocent people. Here are some facts about the death penalty system with sources below.
Serious risk of executing innocent people
124 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence. DNA is available in less than 10% of all homicides and isn’t a guarantee we won’t execute innocent people.
Utility of the death penalty
The death penalty doesn’t prevent others from committing murder. No reputable study shows the death penalty to be a deterrent. To be a deterrent a punishment must be sure and swift. The death penalty is neither. Homicide rates are higher in states and regions that have it than in states that don’t.
We have a good alternative. Life without parole is now on the books in 48 states. It means what it says. It is sure and swift and rarely appealed. Life without parole is less expensive than the death penalty.
Who gets the death penalty? The death penalty doesn’t apply to people with money. Its not reserved for the “worst of the worst,” but for defendants with the worst lawyers. When is the last time a wealthy person was on death row, let alone executed? How can this be just?
The death penalty doesn’t necessarily help families of murder victims. Murder victim family members across the country argue that the drawn-out death penalty process is painful for them and that life without parole is an appropriate alternative.
Problems with speeding up the process. Over 50 of the innocent people released from death row had already served over a decade. If the process is speeded up we are sure to execute an innocent person.
Death penalty costs. The death penalty costs much more than life in prison, mostly because of the legal process.
Are you supporting or opposing the statement?
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start with a statistic, Like "X amount of death row prisoners were found innocent just last year." statistics are the best way to win an argument.
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A good way to start Lame Debate is to do Oxford-Oregon instead.
Seriously, LD is value-debate so always start off with something emotional which strikes at common values the judge might hold with your assigned position.
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many debate trophies from HS.
How can a just society (however you define it) use a system of dubious value in keeping us safe by preventing or reducing crime, while risking the executions of innocent people. Here are some facts about the death penalty system with sources below.
Serious risk of executing innocent people
124 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence. DNA is available in less than 10% of all homicides and isn’t a guarantee we won’t execute innocent people.
Utility of the death penalty
The death penalty doesn’t prevent others from committing murder. No reputable study shows the death penalty to be a deterrent. To be a deterrent a punishment must be sure and swift. The death penalty is neither. Homicide rates are higher in states and regions that have it than in states that don’t.
We have a good alternative. Life without parole is now on the books in 48 states. It means what it says. It is sure and swift and rarely appealed. Life without parole is less expensive than the death penalty.
Who gets the death penalty? The death penalty doesn’t apply to people with money. Its not reserved for the “worst of the worst,” but for defendants with the worst lawyers. When is the last time a wealthy person was on death row, let alone executed? How can this be just?
The death penalty doesn’t necessarily help families of murder victims. Murder victim family members across the country argue that the drawn-out death penalty process is painful for them and that life without parole is an appropriate alternative.
Problems with speeding up the process. Over 50 of the innocent people released from death row had already served over a decade. If the process is speeded up we are sure to execute an innocent person.
Death penalty costs. The death penalty costs much more than life in prison, mostly because of the legal process.
References :
Death Penalty Information Center, http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org, for stats on executions and states where they occurred, reports on costs, deterrence studies and links to testimony (at state legislatures) of victims’ family members.
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/offenses/standard_links/regional_estimates.html, the FBI Uniform Crime Report for 2005. (As of now, only preliminary stats are available for 2006) Stats found here can be compared to stats on the number of executions in different states.
The Innocence Project, http://www.innocenceproject.org
http://www.deathpenaltyfocus.org for info on why the death penalty costs so much