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Ethical Issues Of Capital Punishment

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Capital punishment, the practice of killing people as punishment for serious crimes, has been used in the United States justice system since 1846. Throughout the years, there have been numerous ethical concerns, calling for the use of capital punishment, to become a practice of the past. However, are you aware, there are as many economic issues surrounding the death penalty, as there are ethical issues? At first, it may seem that execution, is a less expensive alternative to life in prison, nevertheless the assumption is wrong. Once, the process of a capital punishment case has been completed, the cost is more than double the price, of a life sentence. The United States is the only country, in the western world, which currently allows capital punishment to take place. 20 people were executed, in the year 2016, as a result, the country threw away millions of tax dollars to terminate people, who otherwise could have spent the rest of their days behind bars, for a cheaper price (Execution List 2016). The economics of capital punishment are more complicated, than they may seem; factors such as, cost of the incarceration, trial, and lethal injection all contribute to the overall cost. Every year, the United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. As reported by Kelsey Warner, a journalist for The Times-News, there are over 2.4 million people in jail, that means one in every 100 American citizens is currently behind bars. The US spends over $80

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