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Michael Heng
Laurie Oberg
English 11
30 October, 2015
Life Without Parole and the Death Penalty
The death penalty has been a controversial topic in the United States for the past few
decades. Every state in the U.S. has executed someone, the total number of executions in the
U.S. has exceeded 1400 since 1976. Many people in the U.S. agree or disagree with the death
penalty. People may ask, what is the more constitutional, money-saving, and humane way of
treating inmates in the United States of America? Life without parole is the best option for the
people of the United States

Some may argue that the death sentence is, constitutional, money-saving, and humane.
Death penalty supports may say that executions prevent future murders from taking place and
influence others not to commit crimes. People argue that the government has the right to take
away someones right and executions in the 21st century are constitutional. Many supporters of
capital punishment say that executions are quick, swift, and save the money of tax payers, they
also believe that for many families, the death penalty gives relief to the victims family. Finally,
citizens of the United States believe that executions in general are humane, and a the Unites
States methods of executions are humane and constitutional.
Life without parole is the best option for dealing with criminals who have committed
terrible crimes. Life without parole is positively constitutional, giving the government the power

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to kill someone for their crimes may arguably be unconstitutional and unmoral. The United
States methods of executions have been unprofessional, leading to botched executions that are
inhumane. Some may say that executions are more cost-effective than life in prison, the amount
of time spent in courts, the money put to making execution devices, the executions themselves,
and other expenses can add up to more than 1.2 million dollars. With more studies and research,
life without parole is the better option.
Life without Parole is positively constitutional, humane, and more money saving than
death sentences. Life without parole is very constitutional and humane compared to executions,
spending life in prison with no temporary release is a swift, clean, and isnt unusual. Executions
in the United States are unconstitutional and inhumane because they are cruel and unusual, the 8th
amendment states that cruel or unusual punishments cannot be inflicted on criminals. Executions
in the United States are cruel because of course, the victim dies, but many executions are botched
which leads to executions that are long, painful, which is cruel and unusual for the victim.
According to Prof. Michael L. Radelet of the University of Colorado, there have been a total of
44 botched executions from 1982 to 2014.Some of these cruel and unusual executions involve
failed electrocutions leading to inmates catching on fire and prolonged pain, in one case in April
1983, John Evans was electrocuted, after the first jolt, an electrode on Evans leg erupted sparks
and flames, smoke and sparks came from the vicinity of Evans left temple, physicians came and
still found a heartbeat, another jolt was applied, this resulted in smoke and burning flesh, they
still found a heartbeat, at this moment Evans lawyer is begging them to stop but they ignore
him. The execution took 14 minutes and Evans body was charred and smoldering. Execution by
electrocution can lead to incidents like these that are cruel and unusual, other executions by

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electrocutions have involved inmates catching on fire, agonizing in pain while physicians check
for pulses and waiting for the final jolt of electricity. On April
6, 1992 Donald Eugene Harding was horrifically executed by asphyxiation, death was not
pronounced until 10 and a half minutes after cyanide pills were dropped. During the execution
journalists witnessed Harding thrashing and struggling violently against the restraining straps, a
television journalist reported that his spasms had lasted 6 minutes and 37 seconds. The journalist
stated that Obviously , this man was suffering. This was a violent death an ugly event.

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Works Cited (need revising for final paper)

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/some-examples-post-furman-botched-executions?
scid=8&did=478
http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001000
https://www.google.com/search?
q=when+is+an+execution+unconstitutional&oq=when+is+an+execution+unconstitutional&aqs=
chrome..69i57.15463j0j8&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#q=cost%20of%20an
%20execution
https://www.google.com/search?
q=cost+of+life+in+prison&oq=cost+of+life+in+prison&aqs=chrome..69i57.3268j0j7&sourceid
=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8
http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=1715