LaurenDmm300 v. 2.0
Notable Member
- Mar 18, 2016
- 3,336
- 27,233
Before I start writing what I what your opinion on, please know that I did not write this.
Credit goes to Liz Kessler, and this is from her book Read Me Like A Book (great title right? xD).
Also, I didn't edit out, or edit in, anything. This is all straight from the book.
~~
'The fact is, the death penalty saves lives.'
Kirsty Peters pauses to add dramatic effect to her statement. 'The threat of paying the ultimate penalty could halt many potential offenders before they commit horrific crimes such as murder and violent ♥♥♥♥. Futhermore, it is also the fairest way to offer justice to victims of such crimes. Why should the state pay to keep someone alive, feed them and entertain them for the rest of their lives, when it is better, fairer, and safer to rid our society of them altogether? As the Bible says, an eye for an eye...'
'That's complete bollocks, Kirsty!'
'Ash!'
I look up at Miss Murray.
'Language.'
'OK. But how can she say that? Someone commits murder, so the state commits another murder to prove that the murder is wrong. You can't call that fair. It's bollocks.'
'Language!'
'Sorry! But she's wrong.'
'Explain why, then. Argue your case. Remember, you are meant to be honing your communication skills so you can develop an effective argument. This is a debate, not a break-time scrap in the gardener's shed.'
How does she know about the gardener's shed? She's only been here five minutes and she's already found the top smoking hole. I'll have to warn Cat.
I take a deep breath. 'Right. Thank you, Kirsty,' I say super-politely. 'Now I'd like to put forward our argument with some actual facts.'
I pick up my notebook and read from the scrawl copied down the other night with Robyn. We had quite a laugh doing it, actually. Turns out she's good company. And her mum makes amazing pizzas!
Robyn gives me an encouraging smile. I clear my throat. 'OK, so firstly, there is no evidence at all for the idea that death penalty acts as a deterrent. Scientific studies have consistently failed to show that executions deter people from crime anymore than long prison sentences.'
I take a breath and carry on. 'Futhermore,' I say heavily as I glance at the opposing team, 'executing the offender does not undo the damage that has been done. Much better to invest in programmers to prevent similar crimes by potential offenders. Oh, and while we're on the subject of spending money, it is in fact more expensive to use the death penalty than it is to keep someone in prison for life.'
I glance at Robyn. She gives me a quick thumbs-up and mouths 'miscarriage of justice' at me. I nod at her and turn back to the others.
'And what about the wrongly convicted?' I carry on. 'How would Kirsty and her cronies-'
'Ash!' Miss Murray warns.
'Sorry. How would Kirsty and her esteemed colleages deal with this? The answer is, they wouldn't. They couldn't. Hundreds of people facing the death penalty have been released in their last days on Death Row, some only minutes away from execution. What if their lawyers hadn't worked so hard? Innocent people - dead. Is this the kind of society you want? Horrific violence matched by state-run barbarism and murder? The death penalty is a symptom of a culture of violence, not a solution to it. Vote for sense, vote for dignity and vote for human rights. Vote against this motion.'
~~
That's it. By the way if you didn't notice, this is a mock trial set up in a class, and the roles are played by students. Miss Murray is the teachers.
And the last word, motion, refers to this:
"Those in favour of the motion, "Bring back the death penalty in the UK", raise your hands."
In my opinion, I agree with the person who is called "I" in the book (her name is Ashleigh, Ash for short btw). You can't just murder someone for murdering someone else, and call that "stopping a culture of violence".
Thanks for reading, and please don't copyright meh. Have a nice day!
P.S. Sorry if I made any mistakes while typing all this out straight from the book.
Credit goes to Liz Kessler, and this is from her book Read Me Like A Book (great title right? xD).
Also, I didn't edit out, or edit in, anything. This is all straight from the book.
~~
'The fact is, the death penalty saves lives.'
Kirsty Peters pauses to add dramatic effect to her statement. 'The threat of paying the ultimate penalty could halt many potential offenders before they commit horrific crimes such as murder and violent ♥♥♥♥. Futhermore, it is also the fairest way to offer justice to victims of such crimes. Why should the state pay to keep someone alive, feed them and entertain them for the rest of their lives, when it is better, fairer, and safer to rid our society of them altogether? As the Bible says, an eye for an eye...'
'That's complete bollocks, Kirsty!'
'Ash!'
I look up at Miss Murray.
'Language.'
'OK. But how can she say that? Someone commits murder, so the state commits another murder to prove that the murder is wrong. You can't call that fair. It's bollocks.'
'Language!'
'Sorry! But she's wrong.'
'Explain why, then. Argue your case. Remember, you are meant to be honing your communication skills so you can develop an effective argument. This is a debate, not a break-time scrap in the gardener's shed.'
How does she know about the gardener's shed? She's only been here five minutes and she's already found the top smoking hole. I'll have to warn Cat.
I take a deep breath. 'Right. Thank you, Kirsty,' I say super-politely. 'Now I'd like to put forward our argument with some actual facts.'
I pick up my notebook and read from the scrawl copied down the other night with Robyn. We had quite a laugh doing it, actually. Turns out she's good company. And her mum makes amazing pizzas!
Robyn gives me an encouraging smile. I clear my throat. 'OK, so firstly, there is no evidence at all for the idea that death penalty acts as a deterrent. Scientific studies have consistently failed to show that executions deter people from crime anymore than long prison sentences.'
I take a breath and carry on. 'Futhermore,' I say heavily as I glance at the opposing team, 'executing the offender does not undo the damage that has been done. Much better to invest in programmers to prevent similar crimes by potential offenders. Oh, and while we're on the subject of spending money, it is in fact more expensive to use the death penalty than it is to keep someone in prison for life.'
I glance at Robyn. She gives me a quick thumbs-up and mouths 'miscarriage of justice' at me. I nod at her and turn back to the others.
'And what about the wrongly convicted?' I carry on. 'How would Kirsty and her cronies-'
'Ash!' Miss Murray warns.
'Sorry. How would Kirsty and her esteemed colleages deal with this? The answer is, they wouldn't. They couldn't. Hundreds of people facing the death penalty have been released in their last days on Death Row, some only minutes away from execution. What if their lawyers hadn't worked so hard? Innocent people - dead. Is this the kind of society you want? Horrific violence matched by state-run barbarism and murder? The death penalty is a symptom of a culture of violence, not a solution to it. Vote for sense, vote for dignity and vote for human rights. Vote against this motion.'
~~
That's it. By the way if you didn't notice, this is a mock trial set up in a class, and the roles are played by students. Miss Murray is the teachers.
And the last word, motion, refers to this:
"Those in favour of the motion, "Bring back the death penalty in the UK", raise your hands."
In my opinion, I agree with the person who is called "I" in the book (her name is Ashleigh, Ash for short btw). You can't just murder someone for murdering someone else, and call that "stopping a culture of violence".
Thanks for reading, and please don't copyright meh. Have a nice day!
P.S. Sorry if I made any mistakes while typing all this out straight from the book.
