Death Penalty
Brenda smith May 4, 2012
Mr. Stein Government
Although the death penalty may seem inhuman to many people, it is effective through the cost of death vs. life in prison, income level, morality and irrevocable mistakes. The death penalty is only used for the most harsh and cruel crimes. It’s surprising to me that this punishment is not a federal law. Every state has its choice to make this penalty legal or not. Seventeen states in America do not use the death penalty, which means that 33 states do use it. It is interesting that every state in the southern part of the United States has the death penalty with the exception of New Mexico. In my opinion, they should make the death penalty legal in all 50 states. The most common way to kill a person on death row is through lethal injection. One of the biggest debates in the United States right now is whether or not to make the death penalty legal. First, the cost of death vs. life in prison is a big key in deciding whether or not it is better to make the death penalty legal. Many opponents say it costs more money to administer the death penalty to a convicted criminal as opposed to sentencing him to life imprisonment. This is not true. Over time, Life Without Parole (LWOP) cases are more expensive then the death penalty. A case in Nevada proves that it is less expensive to receive the death penalty. The 80 pending capital murder cases in Clark County will cost approximately $15 million more if they spent life in prison. Justice for All estimates that Life without Parole cases will cost $1.2 million – $3.6 million more than death penalty cases cost. With the high cost of Life without Parole a true life sentence will be more expensive than a death penalty cost. In Colorado, the death penalty costs about $380,000 more per year. This is important because one plea bargain to life sentence will end up saving Colorado money and
Mr. Stein Government
Although the death penalty may seem inhuman to many people, it is effective through the cost of death vs. life in prison, income level, morality and irrevocable mistakes. The death penalty is only used for the most harsh and cruel crimes. It’s surprising to me that this punishment is not a federal law. Every state has its choice to make this penalty legal or not. Seventeen states in America do not use the death penalty, which means that 33 states do use it. It is interesting that every state in the southern part of the United States has the death penalty with the exception of New Mexico. In my opinion, they should make the death penalty legal in all 50 states. The most common way to kill a person on death row is through lethal injection. One of the biggest debates in the United States right now is whether or not to make the death penalty legal. First, the cost of death vs. life in prison is a big key in deciding whether or not it is better to make the death penalty legal. Many opponents say it costs more money to administer the death penalty to a convicted criminal as opposed to sentencing him to life imprisonment. This is not true. Over time, Life Without Parole (LWOP) cases are more expensive then the death penalty. A case in Nevada proves that it is less expensive to receive the death penalty. The 80 pending capital murder cases in Clark County will cost approximately $15 million more if they spent life in prison. Justice for All estimates that Life without Parole cases will cost $1.2 million – $3.6 million more than death penalty cases cost. With the high cost of Life without Parole a true life sentence will be more expensive than a death penalty cost. In Colorado, the death penalty costs about $380,000 more per year. This is important because one plea bargain to life sentence will end up saving Colorado money and