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Life Without Parole

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"Who exactly gives us the right to kill? If killing is wrong, then why are we allowed to kill?", a famous quotation by activist John Grisham. A conviction of murder in the first-degree, no matter how unjust does not entail for a verdict of the death penalty. Countries today, most notably the United States allow for such a punishment despite the obvious factors against it. This can be explored through the following rebuttals: life without parole and the question of whether law enforcement should have such a choice in the matter. Life without parole is an alternative to the death penalty which imposes prisoners to live the remainder of their lives as convicts in prison. Whereas, the argument for whether or not the government of any country should …show more content…

Compared to the death penalty, life in prison is perceived as an ethical decision, while the choice to inflict the death penalty is irreversible, the latter allows for better judgement in the long run. An article from, the Nation, contrasts the costs between both methods, "carrying out an execution costs at least twice as much-and perhaps five times as much- as sentencing a murderer to life without parole" (David Dow, Life Without Parole: A Different Death Penalty, the Nation). Clearly, if the economy is to be impacted to such an extent, then law enforcement must re-evaluate whether or not the death penalty is actually meaningful in the long run. If the government were to eliminate the funding used for resources towards the death row, and instead facilitate the money elsewhere, it would serve more meaningful purposes. Moreover, life in prison guarantees a, "Swift, severe punishment. It provides justice to survivors of murder victims and allows more resources to be invested in preventing violence." (Is Life in Prison without Parole a Better Option then Death Penalty, ProCon). The answer to seeking justice for one crime, should not be answered for by committing another. If this were a concept applied by people in everyday life, then murder rates would escalate and hold potential for anarchy. On a realistic thought, a majority of the problems related to the death penalty can be avoided through a more humane penance. It also leads to whether or not government institutions should have the warrant to issue capital

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