Anti-Death Penalty Arguments
Anti-Death Penalty Arguments
Crime is a part of everyday life and everyone is aware of the threat it possesses, but the question lies in the methods in which it should be dealt with. A major issue in today’s society is whether or not the death penalty is a proper form of punishment. Many people have different opinions on the issue because of its many pros and cons. The arguments against the death penalty show that executions are more expensive than life in prison, the innocent may be wrongly accused, and it is not a deterrent to crime.
For the death penalty to be enforced there are many processes, which cost a lot of money, that take place over several years. The taxpayer, in most cases, pays all the costs of judges, attorneys, appeals, and courts over the whole course of the capital punishment trial. According to Michael Sage, a trial judge on a recent death penalty case, the cost will be three to four times more than the cost of a life-without-parole trial (“Cost”). In many states, the death penalty proves to be financially insufficient and negatively affects taxpayers through the cost of a death penalty trial. In Texas, a death penalty case costs an average of $2.3 million, which is about three times the cost of imprisoning someone for 40 years (“Facts”). The death penalty is much more expensive than life without parole because the Constitution requires a long and complex judicial process for capital cases (“High”). Even though the death penalty is much more expensive than life in prison without parole, with some changes to the sentencing of a death penalty it could be an efficient method of dealing with capital punishment. There is always room for a margin of error in any judicial case. Poor defendants are given less legal attention by their under-qualified attorneys because of the imperfection of the judicial system. It is very clear that when a defendant is given a court-appointed attorney they are not always served proper justice. Death penalty cases
Crime is a part of everyday life and everyone is aware of the threat it possesses, but the question lies in the methods in which it should be dealt with. A major issue in today’s society is whether or not the death penalty is a proper form of punishment. Many people have different opinions on the issue because of its many pros and cons. The arguments against the death penalty show that executions are more expensive than life in prison, the innocent may be wrongly accused, and it is not a deterrent to crime.
For the death penalty to be enforced there are many processes, which cost a lot of money, that take place over several years. The taxpayer, in most cases, pays all the costs of judges, attorneys, appeals, and courts over the whole course of the capital punishment trial. According to Michael Sage, a trial judge on a recent death penalty case, the cost will be three to four times more than the cost of a life-without-parole trial (“Cost”). In many states, the death penalty proves to be financially insufficient and negatively affects taxpayers through the cost of a death penalty trial. In Texas, a death penalty case costs an average of $2.3 million, which is about three times the cost of imprisoning someone for 40 years (“Facts”). The death penalty is much more expensive than life without parole because the Constitution requires a long and complex judicial process for capital cases (“High”). Even though the death penalty is much more expensive than life in prison without parole, with some changes to the sentencing of a death penalty it could be an efficient method of dealing with capital punishment. There is always room for a margin of error in any judicial case. Poor defendants are given less legal attention by their under-qualified attorneys because of the imperfection of the judicial system. It is very clear that when a defendant is given a court-appointed attorney they are not always served proper justice. Death penalty cases
Cited: Callahan, Denise G. "Cost to Taxpayers High in Death Penalty Cases." Middletown Journal. 17 Oct. 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. "Deterrence (In Opposition to the Death Penalty)." The Death Penalty. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. "Facts about the Death Penalty." Death Penalty Information Center. 20 Sept. 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. "The High Cost of the Death Penalty." Death Penalty Focus. 13 Dec. 2010. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. "Post-Conviction DNA Exonerations." The Innocence Project. 18 July 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.