Discussion The death penalty has been a widely controversial topic in America as it is illegal in 27 of the 50 American states. Only 21 of the 50 states were part of this movement, including Texas, Alabama and others. In the 1970s this document explains why it should have been legalized in New York. Written by former New York Mayor Edward Koch “Death and Justice: How Capital Punishment Affirms Life.” He wants the death penalty to be legalized due to the high murder rate at the time of his tenure. However, it should be legal in all states, but under one condition that only victims' family members or close friends can choose who lives and who dies. He calls the method “barbaric,” but calls murder a “disease” that must be cured, so a compromise should be used. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Edward Koch was mayor of New York from 1978 to 1989, but as mayor he added apartment buildings for the homeless and rebuilt homes for the next generation. During his time as mayor, new problems arose due to the AIDS epidemic, increased homelessness, and increased racial conflict. With the best intentions he worked to eliminate everything that could damage the city. The document explains very clearly that if the death penalty had been legal, the suspects would no longer have taken their lives as before. Because this couldn't happen soon enough when they were released from prison, more innocent lives were lost in the process. In rare cases in the past someone may be innocent and even sentenced to death via lethal injection or electric chair. As seen above, mistakes can happen and would ruin the lives of family members and the person who served time in prison. Edward Koch refers to the logos in this document as he was once mayor of New York during a high murder and crime rate. At the end of his term, New York had one of the highest numbers of murders, 2,605 in 1990. Even during his term the death penalty was illegal in the state because he believed it would save more lives. Compared to totals from 2012-2016, overtime has slowly decreased. In this case he was wrong in many ways more than once, since in 2016 it was reported that 630 murders were recorded, which means less. But he was still right as other killers have taken more lives when they left prison, which in some cases could have been avoided. Then he mentions someone capable of this crime by calling him “Mr. Willie was previously convicted of the aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping and murder of a Louisiana deputy and a Missouri man.” Then again for a prisoner named “Lemuel Smith who served 4 life sentences… lured a female prison officer into Chaplin's office and strangled her. Then he mutilated and dismembered his body." This didn't just happen in New York state but across the United States at the time. As some infamous serial killers have become famous for avoiding the death penalty in those states even though they have taken dozens of lives. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The judge or lawyer should talk about the death penalty to the victims' families and not to a group of strangers serving as jurors. The death penalty should be legal only under the condition that the family involved tells the judge whether the death penalty is what they want. If someone who has served time for murder were to leave prison they might/9780231150330