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Checklist

Sample Body Paragraph

Ø Cite and explain your evidence Ø Analyze your evidence: why does it support your claim? Ø Use strong, sophisticated, grade level language and vocabulary

The death penalty is cruel and unreasonable because a shocking number of death row inmates are proven innocent during the appeals process. In fact, 138 death row inmates have been exonerated and released, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. These wrongful convictions occur nationwide. Unlike other punishments, the death penalty is irreversible.  For example, Jesse Tafero was a victim of this injustice when he was wrongfully executed in 1990. Tafero and his wife, Sonia Jacobs, were found guilty of murdering a state trooper in 1976. Two years after Tafero’s execution, Jacobs’ conviction was overturned by a federal court. Tafero and Jacobs were convicted based on identical evidence, which proved to be unreliable. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, “Had Tafero been alive in 1992, he no doubt would have been released along with Jacobs.”  This tragic story reveals the savageness of the death penalty. Therefore, capital punishment is unjust because it can lead to the killing of innocent people.