Death Penalty Essay

Submitted By meganpham30
Words: 467
Pages: 2
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The first recorded execution in the area that is now California took place in 1778 when four Native Americans were shot in San Diego County for conspiracy to commit murder. As of 2013, there are 741 offenders (including 20 women) on California's death row. Of those, 126 involved torture before murder, 173 killed children, and 44 murdered police officers. In Dead Man Walking, Matthew Poncelet is put on death row because he was involved in multiple murders. The reason why Matt Poncelet got the death penalty as because of the murder of Hope Percy and Walter Delacroix. Sister Prejean offers to be a spiritual advisor for Matthew. Throughout the play, Sister Prejean works hard to convince the governor to let Matthew get life in prison instead of the death penalty. In the end, Matthew could not get life in prison, therefore he soon realizes all of the bad things he has done and is scared to die. Matt Poncelet should be executed because he is a repeated offender that is always under the influence and is rude to anyone that talks to him.
Matthew Poncelet could have walked away. Matt could have at least stopped what Vitello was doing. While Matt was speaking to Prejean he says, “I could have walked away. But I didn’t. I let myself listen to him. I was a victim, a fuckin’ chicken. He was older, tough as hell. I was all boozed up, trying to be as tough as him. I didn’t have the guts to stand up to him”. (86) Although Matt confesses to why he was part of the murder, it was to late to do anything about it. He realizes that he could have walked away but he was just too scared too because of Vitello.
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