Journal Entry 6

Frankie Cudney

English 1000

Journal Entry 6

            This article plays devils advocate to what I am trying to prove in my paper. My argument is that the death penalty is a necessary evil and that while it isn’t an ideal form of punishment, it is important that the federal government has the legal option of using it when it is needed. This article however feels nothing good comes out of the death penalty. The author talks about how there have been no positive outcomes from capitol punishment. This article talks about how executions are unethical and cost too much money. Since 2009, $134 million have been spent yearly on capitol punishment and countless botched executions have occurred. The Innocence Project has documented that at least 18 innocent people, who served a combined 229 years in prison before being exonerated, have been saved from possible execution over the past 15 years.

            This source responds to others I have read because it serves as showing the opposing side of the topic, playing devils advocate to the other articles I have researched. Although my opinion is that the death penalty is a necessary evil and my research is on how the media affects the publics view of it. It is important I study and learn about both sides of the argument so that I have an understanding on why both sides feel the way they do and learn the facts about the down sides and positive points that come from using the death penalty as punishment.

            This article has helped me to see the death penalty from the other side. Most of the sources I have studied have talked about the straight facts on capitol punishment and the affects of it. This is the first article I read that specifically spoke down against the death penalty, with the author preaching so negatively about it. It helped my research to see the other side of the argument and read about why the people who are against the death penalty feel the way they do. Many of the articles I have read talks about how ethically, capitol punishment raises a lot of questions. Another thing I commonly read talks about wrongful sentences where the person placed on death row isn’t actually guilty. The facts this article pointed out however that I have not read yet talks about the costly expenses that come with having access to using the death penalty. I didn’t know that it costs so much to put someone on death row and to take care of them up until their execution. Aside from the cost, the author also talks about a specific case that happened recently where a man who was sentenced to death row suffered a botched execution where it took him five hours to actually pass. This is considered cruel and unusual punishment. While this article talks a lot about the negatives of the death penalty, the author leaves out the benefits that come from having the opportunity to use it. The cost to keep a prisoner in jail when he is sentenced to life is also extremely costly and costs more of the tax payers money to keep and take care of an inmate who spends life in prison than it does to execute one. While I am not arguing that it is more of a benefit to kill murders because it costs less, the author leaves out many of the negative sides to keeping inmates in jail for 25 plus years.

            After reading this article, I now know a lot more about the death penalty. I have read sources where the author speaks for capitol punishment and articles that speak against it. This particular source I researched talks about the negative facts that follow the death penalty being a legal method of punishment. Regarding my argument for my paper, which is how the media affects the publics opinions on the death penalty, I think the media portrays both sides of the argument. I think the media tries to convince the public to be for or against the death penalty but doesn’t necessarily talk about how this federal law affects the people specifically. As I continue on to write my paper, I will discuss the information the media puts out to the public and why they choose to report about what they do.