Human rights argument
Capital punishment goes against our most basic human right - the right to life.
Lethal injection and electrocution are not always smooth and painless. They can cause painful deaths and are actually a form of torture.
Keeping prisoners on death row for many years (16 years in Tracy's case) is itself cruel and a form of torture.
Deterrence argument
No one has ever been able to demonstrate statistically that killing murderers deters others.
When countries (eg Canada) get rid of the death penalty there is no instant increase in crime.
Execution of the innocent argument
Legal systems always make some mistakes. Executing the wrong person makes people think the law is unfair.
95 people have been released from death row in the USA since 1973. They were found to have been wrongly convicted.
Death penalty debate
