A Persuasive Speech on Capital Punishment

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A Persuasive speech on Capital Punishment
Stance: Capital Punishment should be Abolished
General Purpose: Convince
Specific Purpose: The audience will see it reasonable to abolish capital punishment.
Central Idea: The capital penalty robs life to some innocent persons, risk of flawed trials, and it is costly.
Introduction
Karl Max, a well-known scholar famous for his knowledge on philosophy and sociology
once pointed out that ‘it is overly challenging to pinpoint any principle that justifies capital
punishment even in a society that finds glory in it’. This aligns with the whole idea that capital
punishment is a sign of weakness. Although unproven beyond doubts, no individual is so bad
that making him good is an almost mission impossible. Primarily, as from 2015, there are 115
confirmed capital punishments in the United States alone (John). Although coming distant
second after China, the US accounts for around 19 percent of the world’s capital punishments.
The US has seen a drop in the rates of capital punishment. However, the decline barely
justifies the whole situation which entails execution for various capital offenses such as murder,
acts of terror, and treasonous cases. Most cases have been murder-related. That said, some
individuals may have all issue twisted for some situations such as killing which can be justified

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on grounds of self-defense. This greatly differs with murder which can be summed up as putting
an end to another individual’s life unlawfully and maliciously. In that regard, I am going to
highlight the reasons that scream for the abolition of capital punishment.
The Capital Punishment Bears No Beneficial Effect on Rates of Murder
Capital punishments may vary depending on laws, region, or political ideologies. In
terms of regions and state, the ones that do not impose death penalties average 2 murders per
10,000 people. On the other hand, the ones that impose death penalties have a slightly higher rate
of homicide cases with 4 murders for every 10,000 individuals (John). These facts could prove
the whole idea behind capital punishment as a crime deterrent as more of a theory than it is
practical. Even if some crimes were deterred by capital punishments, the question on whether
these avoided criminal acts would be done away with by the state-sanctioned killings.
The justice concept that seeks to balance crimes is also to be doubted when it comes to
justification for capital punishments. For instance, If I happen to steal $200 from your savings
and later I am required to pay you that same amount or an extra more, in a monetary sense such a
case is considered settled at least. Secondly, If I raze down your house, in appropriation I would
be required to build you another and pay further expenses such as rent while the construction of
the new house remains ongoing. But if cause damage to one of your eyes, for instance, having
my eye removed will not remedy the situation. Basically, two wrongs do not make a right.
Capital Punishment is Costly
An operation involving capital punishments are costly, particularly in the United States.
Each case comes with a fair share of costs such as the years of legal appeals which eat up a lot of
time of judges, defense lawyers, and prosecutors at the expense of the government.