Ms. Larson
English 4P
5 May 2013
Killing the Killer
Speech Topic: Capital punishment (Death Penalty)
Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that the death penalty should be more strictly enforced upon killers in the United States.
Central Idea (Thesis): The death penalty should be enforced more nationwide to prevent repeat offenders and to give justice to the victims and their families.
Introduction:
Have you ever noticed in video games that when you kill someone, you spend less than a couple of hours in jail/prison? You get out within a certain amount of time just to hit the streets, buy the same guns, steal the same cars and kill more people. Well that’s similar to real life situations. Murderers spend an average of 23 years in prison. Now the point of this has nothing to do with video games and I am not blaming video games for murders, just using it simply as an example. Murderers, rapists and other felons take up a great part of our population. About a year ago 2.5 million people were incarcerated. The United States alone is responsible for one-quarter of the world’s incarcerated population. In 2012, 43 inmates were executed in the United States and 3,146 were on death row. On average, 17 out of 100 murders are convicted. There is a big problem that needs to be solved quickly. That is why the death penalty should be more efficient. A person is murdered every 25 minutes in the United States. These people are walking around the streets every day. They are our neighbors, our co-workers, and the everyday people of our lives. These people who commit these injustice crimes deserved to be punished, and the law is not doing enough to satisfy the victims and their families of these crimes. These people suffer enough just from having to bury their close and loved family member, and how would you feel if the murderer of your family member got a sentence of 25 years? How would it feel knowing that person would be out again one day, able to murder and kill again? How would you feel knowing that you will never see your family member again but you may see their killer once more time? This is why I argue the death penalty and fell so strongly about it. The death penalty should be more strictly enforced upon murderers to preventing them from repeating offenses and giving justice to the victims and their families.
Transition: To begin my argument, I would like to set a specific pathway of thinking. I would like everyone to think about when they have last witnessed a murder trial and the result of the trial. This may startle many of you because you probably cannot remember the last time you have seen one.
The death penalty can help everyone that will be affected by murderers.
1 Since they are not released, they are not able to commit more crimes.
1 77 percent of felony defendants have at least one prior arrest and 69 percent have multiple prior arrests. 61 percent have at least one conviction and 49 percent have multiple convictions.
1 This will help the percentage of repeat crimes drop and eventually die out.
2 40 percent of all felony convictions serve time in a state prison and 55 percent of those convicted for violent felonies serve time in state prisons.
1 This can improve the percent of felons that will actually go to prison.
2 The murder criminals cannot be released, since they are put to death technically.
1 This will help keep them off the streets and help police.
1 The police won’t have to worry about repeat offenders.
2 This will help keep citizens safe from these violent criminals.
1 Citizens will feel safer in their own neighborhoods and streets.
2 Children will be safer being outdoors and at public places.
The death penalty will decrease the United States total debt.
1 This money can be spent towards more important things such as education.
1 Research shows California spends about $47,000 per