Dear Mr President

Application of the Death Penalty in the United States

I am writing to ask you reconsider the laws of your nation in relation to the application of capital punishment.

When South Africa and the Russian Federation and virtually all of the Eastern European countries have suspended or abolished executions and even Iran is beginning to question its use, is it not time for the United States of America reconsidered the issue?

The death penalty, like any other system is subject to human error, it is not a deterrent, and it brings no closure to the relatives of the victims. Furthermore it must be more than co-incidence that the only civilised nation in the Western world practising executions continues to have the highest murder rate, despite 22 years of resumed and increasing state sanctioned killing. Indeed within the United States, those who have the highest murder rates have the highest rates of executions too.

Behaviour breeds behaviour, and this cycle can only begin to end when the USA sets the example to its people that killing is wrong, and makes more use of Life Imprisonment Without Parole for the most serious cases.

As the holder of the most important position in the world, you have the opportunity to begin to put an end to the killing cycle, and I implore you to use it.
 

Yours sincerely,
 
 
 

(Your known full name)