Dear Secretary of State

Application of the Death Penalty in the United States

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

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. It is be more than co-incidence that we are the only civilised nation in the Western world practising executions and continue to have the highest murder rate, despite 22 years of resumed and increasing state sanctioned killing. Indeed within our States, those who have the highest murder rates have the highest rates of executions too.

The eyes of the rest of the world continually focus on this subject more than any other and it does our nation a great disservice that we keep this barbaric, pointless and expensive death apparatus alive, especially with the media circus focus, which the rest of the world sees.

Behaviour breeds behaviour, and this cycle can only begin to end when we set the example that killing is wrong, and make more use of Life Imprisonment Without Parole.

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

Yours sincerely,
 
 
 

(Your known full name)