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Above the Law

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Submitted By cmurrey89
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Above the Law
Cassandra J. Murrey
South University
Composition II | ENG1200 S01
Faculty: Randell Wolf
December 9, 2014

An article published in the New York Times was released over the weekend describing two separate views towards capital punishment. In California there was a ballot to appeal the death penalty and replace it with mandatory life without parole, and the biggest advocates were Ron Briggs and Mr. Heller who would like to reverse what they have come to view as, “one of the biggest mistakes of their lives” (Danzig, 2012). A law school professor Paula Mitchell stated that by repealing the death penalty in California this would allow us to focus on cost because it is the most “politically neutral” angle (Danzig, 2012). Although there are many different opinions of capital punishment that is believed to be immoral and non-productive at times, these advocates of capital punishment have proven this to be a cost effective, and ethically correct deterrent of future murders.
Mr. Briggs stated in a conversation with his father that when capital punishment was established in California 1978 it started with 300 people on death row, and now the state is up to 720 inmates who are waiting on death row (Danzig, 2012). He proceeds to make his case by saying to his republican friend by keeping the death penalty active it would do swift justice by getting the criminals and murderers through the system quickly by applying the death penalty. The American public believes that by supporting capital punishment laws this will produce a strong deterrent effect that saves lives in the present and future. There is a link between the executions that are being done and the decrease in murders from doing so.
Professor Mitchell argues how expensive the death penalty is, for example last year in California it was reported that the state spent $184 million on lawyers, expert

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