Capital punishment often referred to as the death penalty is a government sanctioned punishment by death, crimes that are punishable by death include first degree murder, terrorism, and espionage (“Capital Punishment”). The death penalty can be viewed as inhumane because if someone is sentenced to death and later found to be innocent there's no bringing that person back to life. Today there are thirty-six countries that practice the death penalty and the U.S. is the only western country that still uses the death penalty(“Capital Punishment”). The U.S. being the only western country to still use capital punishment can cause controversy because of all the money that is spent on it. The death penalty is inhumane and puts an economic burden on …show more content…
population that finds the death penalty inhumane. A Quinnipiac poll found that 48% of Americans said that a person convicted of murder should be sentenced to life in prison without parole (Ross). Forty-Eight percent of the U.S. population is about 153 million people. Capital punishment goes against almost every religious group in the United States even though it is not stated in the bible (McEalee). This shows that even people who follow the bible on a day to day life go against it on certain issues. A survey of police chiefs in the U.S. from 2008 found that police chiefs across the U.S ranked capital punishment last among ways to reduce violent crimes (Rust-Tierney). Those are just some of the examples of people that find the death penalty inhumane. The state and federal government spends ridiculous amounts of money on the death penalty. One example of spending a ridiculous amount of money would be, Oregon spent $9 million dollars on the death penalty in one year (McEalee).That $9 million dollars could go towards improving roadways, improving public safety and, improving other public property. The average cost for a case with the death penalty as a result is around $1.26 million per inmate (McElaee). $1.26 million dollars for a single case is ridiculous and could be used more
The death penalty is procedure conducted by the government by which a person is put to death as a punishment for a crime. The crimes that can sometimes carry the death sentence in places like the US are war crimes, treason, murder, crimes against humanity, espionage and genocide. 103 countries as of today have fully removed the death penalty except for special crimes e.g. War crimes. Although this is a step in the right direction (for most people) 56 countries are known to perform the death penalty.
It is expensive and varies in different states. It cost Florida $51 million a year above what it would cost to punish all first degree murderers with life in prison without parole, and a death penalty case in Texas would cost an average of $2.3 million – three times as much of imprisoning someone in a single cell at the highest level for 40 years! (Facts). Instead of spending money for individual criminals, the government can save that money and spend it on the prison facility to create more space. The money can also be used towards the murdered victim’s families. Most family members who have “lost [loved] ones to murder” sense that the death penalty does not help them (Death Penalty). The reason why death penalty cases cost more than typical cases is because all of the judges, lawyers, and other personnel would spend more hours into preparing, trying, and reviewing the issues, given that a life is at stake. Judge Gregory Frost estimated that he and his staff spends “40 to 60 hours per month on some aspect” of the death penalty cases, and that the hearings could last from “a few hours to multiple days” (Death-penalty). Instead of spending an excessive amount of money on the death penalty, the money could be devoted to therapies, counseling sessions, or places that could be helpful for the murdered victim’s families. The government can also spend that money for the community. They can help by repairing highways, street lights, and annihilated
In 2015, over one thousand six hundred and thirty-four people were executed through the death penalty, and eighty-nine percent of them occurred in just three countries alone. The United States is one of these countries, with thirty-two states who allow capital punishment, primarily by lethal injections. Although many people believe that the death penalty is a deserving punishment for criminals, capital punishment is inhumane because it makes us as a society commit the same violent acts we hold criminals accountable for.
Gavrila, Adina Nicoleta. "Should the death penalty be abolished? Arguments for and against the centuries old punishment." Journal for Communication and Culture. 01.02 (2011): 82-98. Print.
Should the death penalty in the United States cost so much? The death penalty is an expensive process to go through. The united states can be doing much more with this money, like giving it back to our schools, police
The death penalty is government sanctioned punishment by death. Crimes subject to capital punishment are capital crimes. Thirty-six countries actively practice the death penalty, including the United States. However, 103 countries have abolished capital punishment and instead jail serious criminals for life. Capital punishment is the only fitting punishment for people who have done the ultimate wrong, it saves space at federal prisons, and it gives closure to families of victims, or victims of these crimes.
The use of capital punishment is a contentious social issue in the United States. Currently, it is a legal sentence in thirty-two states and illegal in eighteen (States With and Without the Death Penalty). Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty is “the punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime” (Oxford Dictionaries). A sentencing for the death penalty can be mete out due to a capital offense of treason, murder, arson, or rape. The most commonly used methods for capital punishment include lethal injection, handing, and electrocution. The act of capital punishment is unethical and immoral. Capital punishment is
Studies show that prosecute a death penalty case cost the taxpayers $1.5 million dollars more than to prosecute a life in prison without parole. A study done this past August by Dr. Ernest Goss, a Creighton University economics professor who founded the conservative think tank, Goss & Associates, the study is called The Economic Impact of the Death Penalty on the State of Nebraska: A Taxpayer Burden?. This study found that the state of Nebraska spends $14.6 million per year to maintain its capital punishment system. That is $14.6 million that could be spent on public service like more police and perhaps programs to help at risk youth. Nebraska
The cost can range all the way up to 1 million dollars just for a single death penalty case. Since capital punishment trails are longer and more intensive they tend to cost a lot more than the normal murder trails. Due to the high costs of every death penalty case there has been economic crisis in many states. In the past, around 3,000 prisoners were released early in Florida and prisoners in Texas only served 20% of their time. Rearrests are seen common in these states because millions of dollars are used for the death penalty instead of preventing crime. Most of the money is not used for crime prevention programs that could decrease the amount of crimes more effectively. Texas has one of the most people in the death row but its murder rate is also one of the highest. The politicians who support the death penalty believe that death penalty respond better to the crime. They also think that using the death penalty will make them have a stronger image. Not taking into account of the lack of funding, many do not realize that a single death penalty reduces the resources in the area. The million dollars could be used for long term crime reduction programs such as increasing the amount of police officers or even drug rehabilitation programs. Every death penalty trial is seen as a luxury item even if the person does not get the death penalty
Capital punishment comes at a hefty price. A lot of tax dollars go to this supposed “justified deterrence” that is intended to reduce the rate of murder and crime. The money could be put to better use, such as reforming the criminal justice system and put funding into low-income neighborhoods and programs for at-risk youths. These would be better alternatives to the death penalty. Another point is the level effectiveness of the death penalty.
The primary purpose of the criminal justice system is to protect society. All features of the system; detaining delinquents, trials, and punishments all have costs. Reduction in any part of the criminal justice system can potentially result in a harmful society. The question most asked about the death penalty is, “Why should honest, hardworking taxpayers, have to pay for murderers for the rest of their life instead of executing them?” Actually the death penalty is the most expensive part off the system. According to Dr. Ernest Gross, a Creighton University economics professor, who conducted a study in August 2016, the death penalty cost an average 23.2 million more per year than alternative sentences (Gross). The study found that states with the death penalty spend about 3.54% of overall state budgets on court, corrections and other criminal justice functions associated with the death penalty, while states without the death penalty spend about 2.93% on those functions (Gross). The death penalty is more expensive than life without parole because the constitution requires an extensive and complex judicial process for capital crimes. This is to ensure that innocent men and women are not executed for crimes they did not
The death penalty is also widely opposed by people across America because it is argued to be immoral, a form of torture, economically biased, susceptible to error and does not act as a deterrent. In contrast to the opponent’s view, supporters believe that religiously the death penalty is wrong because the Bible says “Thou shalt not kill”. (sixth commandment) It is also argued that if killing is wrong, then the government should not use it as a form of punishment (Death Row on Trial 2001: video) “how can we kill people who kill people to show its wrong” (Death Row on Trial 2001: video) Also when a person is sentenced to death, they are told how they will be killed and when, until finally they are taken to be executed, which could be years after receiving the original sentence. (Washington Post 2008: e.data) This period in which the convicted person must wait is considered to be a form of torture, (Washington Post 2008: e.data; Death Row on Trial 2001: video) especially when in some cases the person will often see or even hear being tested the chair in which they will be executed. (Death Row on Trial 2001: video) Another major
The death penalty has been used since the creation of laws as a punishment for serious offences. Although many people’s views have changed on how serious the crime must be before implementing the death penalty, it is still in use today. Currently there are 41 federal capital offences you can commit in the United States, from genocide to first degree murder, that can result in the use of the death penalty. There are four ways the United States will execute a prisoner by electric chair, lethal injection, gas chamber, hanging, or firing squad. Most Catholics believe the death penalty is inhuman and unnecessary because the dignity of a human life should never be taken away no matter what crime they have committed. Catholics argue that the death
Capital punishment, or otherwise known as the death penalty, is death sentenced upon a person by the state as a punishment for a crime. These crimes are known as capital crimes or capital offenses. Capital punishment has been practiced in many societies; now 58 nations practice the death penalty, while 97 nations have abolished it. In the past, it was common for the ruling party to make the offender known throughout the community for his or her criminal act. Thus, if the community were made aware of the consequences for breaking the laws, the crime rate would reduce. Such criminal penalties included: boiling to death, disembowelment, crucifixion and many more. As time went on the movement towards more humane treatments took hold. In the
Punishment is inevitable in a world that judges one’s every move. Common decisions turn into tendencies and tendencies turn into life choices that construed a life forever. For centuries people have faced execution for crimes which were considered to be horrendous. A system that has remained in our judicial system since the first execution in 1606 (deathpenalty.org). As of 2015 execution is only recognized as a form of correction in 31 states throughout the U.S. To ensure justice crimes are punished in a form or fashion equal to the severity of the crime committed. According to the US Federal Government list there are 41 capital offenses punishable by death. Included in this list are crimes such as first-degree murder, treason, and genocide.