Penalty Essay: The Controversial Issue Of Capital Punishment

The greatest punishment that we know today is capital punishment or the death penalty. Even with a movement toward a more humane, less painful way to execute, the topic of capital punishment continues to be a controversial issue. Advocates argue it deters crime and is a good tool for police and prosecutors; however, capital punishment is the worst violation of human rights today. In addition to the moral and ethical issues of taking someone’s life, the pain of death in carrying out the executing can be slow and painful. Research has shown that the racial bias associated with those that have been executed shows a clear discrimination toward the African American population and the cost associated with the death penalty is a burden to taxpayers as it cost considerably more to execute an individual than to keep them in prison.
The death penalty raises concern on a religious, spiritual and moral level. The right
It is suggested that the death penalty could be a more economical alternative to life imprisonment but actually it results in more cost to taxpayers. In Maryland, a comparison of capital trial costs with and without the death penalty concluded that a death penalty case costs approximately 42% more than a case resulting in a non-death sentence (UCLA). Studies have shown that cases involving the death penalty involve a longer trial resulting in higher litigation cost. A survey done in the state of New York showed a capital trail alone would be more than double the cost of a life term in prison (N.Y. State Defenders Assn., "Capital Losses" 1982). The Sacramento Bee in March, 1988, reported that California and federal taxpayers have paid more than $250 million per execution performed. An expected $90 million per year would be saved if they were to abolish the death penalty in California (Closing). This money may better be spent assisting the family members of victims to put their lives back