Death Penalty Debate: Pros, Cons, and My Perspective

Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty
After viewing the National Geographic documentary titled "Death Row Texas", I found myself
grieving the loss of my father. Preceding my father's death, he was an employee of the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) working as a Correctional Officer at the Texas State
Penitentiary at Huntsville, known as the "Walls Unit". Over the years, some of the stories that my
father shared with me regarding TDCJ unfair system has me struggling with this question,
particularly since TDCJ designed the system to oppress people of color through the act of mass
incarceration, life in prison, and the death sentence according to a news article published by the New
Yorker titled, "The Caging of America". In the United States of America, White Americans have been
murdering innocent African–Americans for centuries without punishments for their crimes, and yet
today this behavior continues throughout our criminal justice system. According to the Texas
Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Texas alone has accounted for more than 30% of the
executions in the United States, and over the past five years, people of color make up 80% of the
death sentences in Texas with more than 60% of the death sentences imposed on
African–Americans. In response to the question whether Willie Earl Pondexter Jr., Johnny Ray
Johnson and David Martinez deserve the death penalty, I am still undecided on my position due to
my uncertainty regarding the usefulness in imposing the death sentence. Furthermore,
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The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty
The death penalty has been a debatable subject for many years. Violence is only getting worse
and affecting more of us every day. When a crime is committed, the criminal is either placed in
prison or
on death row. Imagine if we had someone close to us become a victim of a crime, is killing the
criminal
the right thing to do? What if the person is innocent? Minor and mayor crimes are being placed side
by
side. For example, let us say someone gets shot and the person responsible gets four years in prison,
then on other hand you have someone else who is raped but it cannot be proven and then the victim is
left suicidal. What do we do then? The death penalty is an unnecessary punishment, it does not deter
crime, it is costly and it may constitute cruel and...show more content...
"The Death Penalty is a Flawed Form of Punishment." Death Penalty, edited by Noel
Merino, Green haven Press, 2015. Based on the evidence we have been able to gather the death
penalty
does not reduce murder rates. Not only that the states with the death penalty actually have had a
higher rate of homicides than those without the death penalty.
In addition to the death penalty not deterring crime, the death penalty is costly. Most people
may be surprised to know that life in prison is actually cheaper than death row. A person placed on
death row can be waiting for years and years. Appeals, retrials, and all the people involved make
death
row costly. Supporting a death row inmate for the rest of their life costs less than putting them to
death
and ends the possibility of future crimes from being committed. So how is death row making a
difference for us?

Most importantly, it may constitute cruel and unusual punishment. Who are we to decide who
does and does not get to live? Cruel and unusual punishment can be defined as torture or a
deliberately
degrading punishment. There are five methods used to execute inmates; lethal injection,

In the world we as people live in violence. Violence has gotten so out of control that it has affected
everyone. The one thing about violence is that it also leads to crimes. And crimes leads to some
people being imprisoned, while others are put on death row. But if crimes are crimes, what
makes them minor or major? Who decides if they are minor or major? Nowadays minor and
major crimes are being pushed together. For example, someone gets shot and the shooter gets 5
years in prison. But if someone is raped it cannot be proven and the victim is left suicidal while the
rapist goes about their day. Both are major crimes but one has a sentence and the other one does
not. With this happening in the world it makes me wonder if we as the people...show more content...
30)." The community as a whole should already have what crime gets the death penalty. If it takes
a lot of money to make sure that this particular crime was committed by the right person then so be
it. It should not matter whether it takes another month or so to be accurate with the crime
committed. Also Robinson adds "Some experts believe deciding to limit the death penalty will no
longer make it a potential deterrent to criminals (Robinson par. 24)." If the death penalty is
restricted then there is no hope of it having an effect on the population a little as time passes.
Robinsons also wrote about how the death penalty should be used:
More discriminate use of the death penalty – reserving its use for only highly aggravated crimes, the
'worst of the worst' – will lessen the risk of flawed convictions and sentences and ensure that those
who really deserve to be on death row will be executed. [There shouldn't be restriction to the death
penalty because] ... the capital punishment system will remain flawed and it is more likely that
less–deserving or innocent prisoners will be convicted and put on death row. (Robinson par. 7)
In life there is always going to be something that is flawed with the death penalty. The reason being
is because of human error. Human error happens a lot and sometimes it

The death penalty, a constant source of controversy and divided opinion, is the punishment of death
given to criminals who commit severe crimes. As the severity of crimes that attract the death penalty
is debatable, so is its correctness and effectiveness. The justice system is based upon punishment for
crimes committed with emphasis on the punishment fitting the crime. Countries such as China and
Singapore have used it to punish drug traffickers and therefore fuelled debate on how fitting the
punishment is in such cases. For all it aims to achieve, the death penalty has well documented
weaknesses, not least of which is its brutality and finality, and it is these frailties that lead to the calls
for its abolishment. The death penalty is...show more content...
For the death sentence to be issued, numerous stages of a long process seek to verify the guilt of the
accused. While these stages seek to rule out reasonable doubt, common among these stages is human
involvement and thus the likelihood of error that human beings are susceptible to. Not just error
though, opinions and perceptions of jurors come into play and this does little to ensure that the risk
of an innocent person being sentenced to death is alleviated. Despite the best efforts of pro–death
penalty activists to overplay the role of modern methods such as DNA testing in evidence validity
(Joe Messerli balancedpolitics.org), it still does not rule out the chance of an innocent life being
taken. Does what the death penalty aim to achieve outweigh the choice to overlook risk of loss of
innocent life? It would if the death penalty was the only way to achieve justice, but it is not. Life
imprisonment without parole is just as effective, but it is does not have the yoke of finality that the
death penalty has since appeals could be made in light of new evidence that could prove innocence.
One key argument brought up in support of the death penalty is that it offers retribution especially for
murder cases. This argument was backed heavily by New York law professor, Robert Blecker, who
claimed that the punishment had to be painful in proportion to the crime. "It would be unfair that
those

Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty Essay
Should the death penalty be legal? This simple question sparks a lot of controversy and is the topic
of many debates. For countries like China and Saudi Arabia, they say yes. But, for the United States,
only about 62% of people agree. A number of execution methods have been used such as firing
squad, hanging, electrocution, and most recently, lethal injection. Both Dave Anderson and Robert
Blecker are supporters of the death penalty, but they both are not necessarily for the current
execution methods available. Nick Gillespie and Jeffrey Toobin are against the death penalty, stating
that it is not only immoral, but is expensive and violates the Eighth Amendment. While both sides of
this debate provide reasonable arguments, neither side contributes enough to win the debate. Since
1973, 144 people that were on death row have be executed. The supporters of the death penalty
believe that by executing "the worst of the worst" will decrease crime, provide substantial
punishments, and promote happiness and safety throughout the country. Supporters are trying to
find solutions to legalize the death penalty in the United States that is not considered cruel and
unusual punishment, while still providing justice for the victims and their families. "Most of the
arguments against the death penalty; those of inherent unfairness and bias towards the poor or racial
minorities or the devastating potential for mistaken execution are both fallacious and misleading"
(Anderson 2016). Dave

What is your standpoint on capital punishment? Capital punishment, also referred to as the death
penalty, is a government sanctioned practice in which it is legal to kill someone as punishment for a
crime (What Is). The first known death penalty laws date back as far as the Eighteenth–Century B.C.
in the Code of King Hammurabi (Introduction). These death sentences were carried out by such
means as crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, and impalement for 25 different
crimes in Babylon. This practice has taken place in every century of some sort and still continues to
be practiced in certain places today. According to The Telegraph, 58 countries still execute citizens
by means of capital punishment, with the U.S. being one of the top four in leading executions
(Mapped). The death penalty is a very strong topic and is a heated controversy among many world
leaders. I, personally, think that the death penalty should be rid of worldwide based on the
possibility of innocence, civil and religious issues, and cost and deterrence.
The first and foremost reason I oppose the death penalty can be due to the introduction of the
Innocence Project. The Innocence Project, founded in 1992 by Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck at
Cardozo School of Law exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the
criminal justice system to prevent future injustice (Innocence Project). So far, the project has
exonerated 351 inmates through DNA and has identified

Essay on Death Penalty Pros and Cons
In this time of life, where things have changed to a better world, it still exist massacre, what it's
called death penalty. "United Stated is one of the six nations that commonly continue with this
dramatic scenario" (Human Rights).Debates and political issues have been put into effect to stop
this cruel and inhuman punishment. Since early years people have the belief of killing each other
to solve their problem; what's the idea of slaughter if pain would not be applicable? We should keep
them breathing to make them suffer the same way they cause the suffer ness of us or other people.
Its hard to see one of your family members get killed by one of this people, the first thing we want
is to see them get killed, but if you stop and...show more content...
People are not against the death penalty, they want to see people get killed for their mistakes;
(APW wrote: DP another way) "I am wondering if any of you who can support the death penalty,
would be willing to push the buttons, or inject the poison to commit murder? They are murderers,
and rapists and the like, so they kill. We are Children of God; we haven't the right to kill another
soul. That is in the hands of God alone. We have the responsibility to keep these people away from
others, and rehabilitate, if possible. That is all. Would any of you push that button?" It's hard to see
us pass the law of murder, why should we make the same mistake they did.
Many rapes, violations or other situation have been done by people that don't care of life of other
or their life, do you think if putting him into the death penalty he would care, it's only a quick pain,
they would not care if getting killed. Their many ways to solve this problem for example:
rehabilitation or solitary confinement, if you think about it this is worse than death. Death is quick;
solitary is for 1–80 years or more, with this as well, no contact with the outside. It's like a living
death in a world of pain and suffer ness, it would make them consider it twice before doing
something bad, just to think a life with nobody to talk, it would make them realize in what situation
they got into, it would set a good example to all the criminals. Violence

The Government used to have a death penalty where you would have to sit in a chair that shocks
you all the way to your death. When time has come passed the electric chair was eliminated and
now their using the lethal injection where you are poisoned and killed instantly. Out of
everybody on the death row 42% are Black, 43% are Whites, 13% are Hispanic, and 2% are other
races. In the US there was 3,035 people on death row last October. 150 death row inmates were
released due to their innocence being found. In Cali people who killed whites where 3 times more
likely to get the death row then those who killed blacks.In a proposal I read that the government was
thinking about blind folding and shooting inmates on death row because of technical...show more
content...
The US remains the same company as Iran china and Iraq as the users of capital punishment. I don't
think anyone's job description should be killing another person that bleeds the same blood as you.
Death penalty is lethal raffle. Out of 15000 to homicides every year in US, only about 120 people
are punished with death. That's less than 1% of the people in jail for murder. There has to be a
better punishment that can take place for the inmate's family than just putting an inmate to rest.
The families of the murder victims go through trauma and the loss of a loved on. No one should
have the power to take someone from their family especially forever. But execution doesn't help
the people redeem are end the pain that you all have caused. The longed process regarding to
executions extends the wait that the family waits to hear the bed news. The Families of the
murder victim would be better if the money being used now for the expensive process of execution
were provided with counseling and assistant. Murder cases cost 1.5 million are more. Paying for
prosecution and defense makes the state and counties pay $9 million a year. The death penalty
brings civilians lives to a

Most people in the United States believe we should have the death penalty. They believe that the
death penalty keeps people from committing crimes. Most of these people today think that people
will get scared of being executed by gas or needle and that they won't commit real bad crimes. A
lot of other people believe that it is just plain wrong to kill someone and no one should be killed
for any reason even murder and rape and so they are against the death penalty. I will talk to you
about these problems with the death penalty in my paper. Everyone should ask themselves what
they believe. Do you believe that by killing people using the death it will save lives. The death
penalty is called capital punishment. You get sentenced with...show more content...
Even if you don't believe in the death penalty, the United States does have it. There are many
reasons people have for being against it. The American Civil Liberties Union is a organization
that fights against the death penalty. They don't believe that the death penalty should be used at
all. They have been trying for years and years to get rid of the death penalty. Some of the things
the ACLU does is they will be the attorney for some people if they are sentenced with the death
penalty. They go around the country and the world trying to end the death penalty everywhere.I
remember all the news stories about people being put in the prison for the wrong reason so that is
some of the reasons people don't like it.
Summary
Everyone has to decide for themselves if they believe in the death penalty or not. You can't just
use one person's opinon. You have to look at it for yourself and decide what you believe. Death
penalty is not the right way to do things all the time because it can be not fair and people may do
some bad things but that doesn't mean they have to die for the things they have done and I think a
lot of people should agree with me. Since the bible times people have been killed for doing many
different things. There are many states that still use the death penalty or capital punishment and
there are many states who don't. Texas is a state that is very hard on criminals. The killed more
people with the death penalty than

In 1936 59% of Americans favored the death penalty and 38% did not. In a more recent study
47% favored the death penalty and 48% said they would rather have them sentenced to life in
prison (Jones, "Support for the Death Penalty"). The death penalty is a very controversial topic that
is primarily based on morals. There are many reasons why people favor it. For example and many
believe if you are insane enough to murder someone you deserve it. But, there are also many
reasons why people oppose it. For example, there have been innocent people sentenced to death.
People are also frustrated because the money that the government uses to either kill or house a
prisoner for life, comes out of their taxes. Everyone has their own story and belief on why they
death penalty should or should to be legal. According to Adrianne Haslet–Davis, a Boston Massacre
survivor, "If you can take lives, yours can be taken" (Drehle). The reasons on why people favor the
the death penalty vary, from the number one reason, "an eye for an eye" to the most unpopular
reason, it relieves prison over crowding. A little more than half of the population still favors the
death penalty (Swift 1). The top 4 reason are: an eye for an eye, they deserve it, save taxpayers
money, and it's a deterrent for potential crimes (Jones, "Support for the Death Penalty"). Over many
years "an eye for an eye" has been named the number one reason people support the death penalty.
Originally the death penalty was a way to stop

Introduction
The death penalty has been a huge part of many political debates for decades. Most citizens of the
Unite States believe there are two sides, those for and those against its continued use. Those for,
tend to believe that it is necessary to keep these criminals out of society and that it deters crime,
while those against tend to believe that the practice is medieval and unethical in society today. With
a controversial topic like the death penalty, it is important to determine why this controversy exists
and if there is a possible solution. The focus at hand is whether or not the United States Government
should continue its use of the death penalty and how this answer could be implemented.
There is a multitude of reasons as to why certain individuals either want the death penalty or not.
However, it is important to take the opinions of those with first–hand experience into account. By
understanding a personal account, it becomes much easier to understand the differing sides to the
debate. To start, a Forbes article titled, "Considering The Death Penalty: Your Tax Dollars At
Work." The piece by Kelly Phillips Erb shares the story of a man named Gordon Steidl, who was
wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death row. After his conviction was overturned, he shared his
own opinion on the death penalty debate. Gordon Steidl said, "'If you really want to kill someone,
give them life without parole. It's worse than dying'" (Erb, 2014). As a result of facing the ultimate

Death Penalty Pros And Cons Essay
Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty The death penalty is a legal process whereby a person is put to
death as a punishment for a crime. The death penalties are usually carried out for retribution of a
heinous murder committed, such as aggravated murder, felony killing or contract killing. Every
state handles what method they want to use to put a person to death according to their state laws.
The death penalty is given by lethal injection, electrocution; gas chamber firing squad and hanging
are some of the ways that certain states may carry out their death penalty procedures. I will present
some views and personal opinion dealing with the pros and cons of the death penalty. The death
penalty is such a life altering subject that affects...show more content...
Death penalty case costs were counted through to execution (median cost $1.26 million). Non–death
penalty case costs were counted through to the end of incarceration (median cost $740,000).
(December 2003 Survey by the Kansas Legislative Post Audit) In Tennessee, death penalty trials
cost an average of 48% more than the average cost of trials in which prosecutors seek life
imprisonment. (2004 Report from Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury Office of Research) In
Maryland death penalty cases cost 3 times more than non–death penalty cases, or $3 million for a
single case.(Urban Institute, The Cost of the Death Penalty inMaryland,March 2008)In California
the current system costs $137 million per year; it would cost $11.5 million for a system without the
death penalty.(California Commission for the Fair Administration of Justice, July 2008). According
to Priya Johnson this because, the cost incurred prior to and during the trial, involves an endless
stream of appeals, legal wrangling, etc. According to Priya Johnson such trials as a death penalty
trials, special motions and extra time for jury selection are required. Investigation charges also rise
exorbitantly, especially by the prosecution. Thus, According to Priya Johnson spending finances on
death penalty is tantamount to reducing essential financial and time resources needed for crime
prevention, mental health treatment, rehabilitation, valuable victim's services, etc. Fig. 4. Coutesy
of (The family Project)

The Death Penalty: Pros and Cons In this paper I will be discussing everything you need to know
about the death penalty such as its pros and cons. While the innocent can be killed, the death
penalty has its pros because it prevents them from killing again if they are released or have
escaped from prison, it helps overpopulated prisons, and it can help victims' families get justice
and closure. Not only can the innocent be killed, but in the past the death penalty was very
inhumane. To some its feels right but to others they feel like 2 wrongs don't make a right. Most
people think that the defendant deserves the death penalty, but what does the defendants' family
think? First, the death penalty has its ups and downs because they could kill again if the criminal is
released or if he or she escapes prison. There have been cases where the criminal serves his/her time
in prison, then gets released and then kills again. They usually do this for two reasons: committing
crime is all they are accustom to or they never learned their lesson while behind bars. There have
also been times where people have escaped prison and the only way they know they'll get away is
by killing anyone that gets in their way. Majority of the public believes that if the criminal gets out
and kills again, it's the justice systems fault because it's their job to keep us safe.
In the past, the death penalty used to be more aggressive than it is nowadays. On the books there are
four types of death penalty

Death Penalty Pros And Cons
Opposing the Death Penalty When discussing the death penalty and its pros and cons, this subject
can quickly become very controversial. Can one really believe that an individual can commit a crime
so wicked that they should be put to death by another individual? The death penalty or "capital
punishment" is defined as a government sanctioned practice where a person is sentenced to death by
the state as a punishment for a crime. I oppose the death penalty, it should be put to an end and
terminated because the actual applications for the death penalty is random and capricious, the death
penalty violates the eighteenth amendment of the United States constitution, and even the guilty
should have the right to life.
The Death Penalty and Similar Crimes
To begin with, the death penalty should be terminated because the actual applications for the death
penalty is random, and capricious. In other words, the death penalty system here in the United
States is applied in an unfair manner. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the
death penalty system is an unjust method against people because it is largely dependent on how
much income and money the individual has, the intellectual skills of their attorneys, the victim's
race and or ethnicity and exactly where the crime took place. It is proven that people of color is
executed more compared to white people, more so if the victim is white. Innocent people are often
executed by the state. Over one hundred and fifty–six

Death Penalty The Death Penalty: killing people that kill people to show people that killing people
is wrong. Use of the death penalty in the United States has always been controversial. Some people
believe that it is a fair system in which criminals pay for the crimes they committed and to prevent
future crimes. While others believe that it is a broken system, often punishing innocent civilians to a
cruel and inhumane death.
Furthermore, the method in which the death penalty is executed is a clear violation of a human rights
and is unconstitutional. The eighth amendment of Constitution of United States of America states,
"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments
inflicted." ("Amendment...show more content...
In fact, it is more expensive as compared to when containing the same criminal inside the prison for
life. The costs involve the expenses acquired before and during the trial. It involves a nonstop flow
of legal wrangling, appeals and more. ("Death Penalty Pros and Cons.") Carrying out a single death
sentence for a criminal costs two to five times more than that putting that same criminal in prison for
the rest of his or her life. This is due to the costs, which include, but are not limited to, investigation
costs, cost of processing evidence, substantial lawyer fees, amount of trials, number of extensive
appeals, substantial security costs, and incarceration costs. Prices also continue to rise after the
criminal is sentenced to the death penalty, because it costs more to house death row inmates, who
are held in segregated sections, in individual cells, with guards delivering everything to them. Thus,
imprisoning criminals for life is tens of millions of dollars cheaper than to execute them. ("Pros &
Cons: Death

Death Penalty Pros & Cons
Top 10 Pros and Cons
Should the death penalty be allowed?
The PRO and CON statements below give a five minute introduction to the death penalty debate.
(Read more information about our one star to five star Theoretical Credibility System)
1.Morality
2.Constitutionality
3.Deterrence
4.Retribution
5.Irrevocable Mistakes
6.Cost of Death vs. Life in Prison
7.Race
8.Income Level
9.Attorney Quality
10.Physicians at Execution
PRO Death PenaltyCON Death Penalty
1. Morality
PRO: "The crimes of rape, torture, treason, kidnapping, murder, larceny, and perjury pivot on a moral
code that escapes apodictic [indisputably true] proof by expert testimony or otherwise. But
communities would plunge into anarchy if they could not...show more content...
Therefore, a life sentence must be less deterrent than a death sentence. And we must execute
murderers as long as it is merely possible that their execution protects citizens from future murder."
CON: "[T]here is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than long
terms of imprisonment. States that have death penalty laws do not have lower crime rates or murder
rates than states without such laws. And states that have abolished capital punishment show no
significant changes in either crime or murder rates. The death penalty has no deterrent effect. Claims
that each execution deters a certain number of murders have been thoroughly discredited by social
science research."
4. Retribution
PRO: "Society is justly ordered when each person receives what is due to him. Crime disturbs this
just order, for the criminal takes from people their lives, peace, liberties, and worldly goods in order
to give himself undeserved benefits. Deserved punishment protects society morally by restoring this
just order, making the wrongdoer pay a price equivalent to the harm he has done. This is retribution,
not to be confused with revenge, which is guided by a different motive. In retribution the spur is the
virtue of indignation, which answers injury with injury for public good... Retribution is the primary
purpose of just punishment as such... [R]ehabilitation, protection, and deterrence

What is the most frightening and difficult thing for a human? Of course is to lose their life by a bad
way. The problem of crime and punishment has always disturbed the human minds. Naturally, every
serious crime should be punished and controlled appropriately, so every country has created a unique
set of laws which define the type of punishment for many crimes. When the crime is very serious,
like murder, the punishment is very strict and rough. At the first years of the 20th century death
penalty is the only way of punishment for criminals who committed serious crimes like murdering
but when the human rights appears they tried to control this problem and save criminals life. The
attitude towards death penalty is completely different and there are supporters and opponents against
this type of punishment who present their own pros and cons towards the problem. Despite the fact
that death penalty prevents criminals from committing serious crimes and costs the government loss
as opposed to life imprisonments without parole. It also should be banned or controlled to avoid
continuing the cycle of violence and executing of innocent people.
According to the supporter's point of view , they think that death penalty prevents criminals from
committing serious crimes because Death penalty punishment controls criminals and the absence of
it is synonymous to crime rate increase because nothing prevents criminals from doing these serious
crimes, it appeases the victims or victim's

The Death Penalty: Pros and Cons Essay
The Death Penalty. Immoral or moral; just or unjust? These are just a few of the questions people
ask themselves when debating the Death Penalty which is arguably the most controversial topic of
the United States today. Every time these words come up, we start yelling out our opinions on what
we feel is right. Pro death penalty people shout deterrence across the room while the anti death
penalty supporters shout about potentially killing an innocent man; some argue that is just and the
murders deserve their punishment while others say we are murdering people too if we kill the
suspect. Being one of the seventy– four countries that carry out the capital punishment, the United
States is currently fourth in executions per year. Beyond this,...show more content...
40 percent of the people on death row in 2007 were African Americans although whites committed
more murders. The former mayor of Maryland, Mister Martin O'Malley brought up another
controversial discussion supporting abolishment s well stating that if we stopped the death penalty,
"$22.4 million could pay for 500 additional police officers or provide drug treatment for 10,000 of
our addicted neighbors. Unlike the death penalty, these are investments that save lives and prevent
violent crime"
There are often mistakes made that falsely determine an individual's sentence. Sloppy police work
and loss of documents are examples of careless errors. There is also some room for error with
determining the results of a DNA sample that do not fall under the human error category. Many
times there may not be ample DNA samples at a crime scene. Only a fraction of crimes reveal DNA.
Drive–by shootings and bombings often do not provide DNA for investigation purposes. "There is a
public perception that DNA is the cure–all for these kinds of mistakes. DNA is not the whole
answer." (Dieter, Richard) Eye witnesses cannot solely and accurately determine a person's fate 100
percent of the time. There are numerous amounts of cases in which those found guilty were indeed
later found innocent. Many times, these individuals have already served time in jail. Many argue
that the time inmates spend in

The Cons of the Death Penalty Essay
The Cons of the Death Penalty
"...Over 600 people were falsely convicted and 35 faced death for crimes that they did not
commit..."(Johnson). The death penalty is an ineffective and expensive way of dealing justice to
the American people. It is easier and cheaper to send someone to prison for life than to have them
face the death penalty and be executed. Capital punishment is an unnecessary punishment because
criminals are already managed at prisons.
69
The death penalty can lead to the death of innocent people. For example, "...According to a new
study, serious errors occur in almost 70% of all trials leading to the death penalty..."(Leibman). This
shows that if 100 people were put on death row, 70 would have serious mistakes in their...show more
content...
The lack of proper resources during a trial can make the difference between the innocence and
guilt of a person. The death penalty does not always show the innocence or guilt of a person. It
shows how much he or she is willing to spend to help the trial go his or her way. The death penalty
is an unfair system to those who cannot afford the "evidence" they need to help free them.
224
The death penalty is a corrupt form of legal justice. For example, "...Defendants in about one–third of
the Texas cases were represented at trial by an attorney who had been or later was suspended or
otherwise sanctioned..."(Leibman). This use of fraudulent attorneys in a case can lead to enough
inaccuracies in the evidence to wrongfully execute a person. This action is against the
constitutional right given to us of equal justice for all. In addition, "...One of you two is gonna
hang for this. Since you're the nigger, you're elected..."(Texas Police Officer). A Texas police
officer said this to 2 men, one black and one white that were connected to the murder of a
17–year–old girl. Race plays a big part in the sentence of guilty or innocent. However, supporters of
the death penalty claim "...that it enforces the laws by issuing strict punishment to the
offenders..."(President George Bush). The death

Lifetime imprisonment and the death penalty are both punishments used for serious criminals who
can be considered "a threat to society". Life imprisonment can come with the option of possibility of
parole throughout serving their sentencing or a life sentence without parole. The life sentence is a
commonly used punishment between the two due to the fact in the United States of America only
31 of the 50 states still use the death penalty. The remaining states are left with a death penalty ban.
Between the two punishments, the life sentence is the most practical and provides the most justice
for the wronged compared to the death penalty that is very costly, inhumane but almost too easy and
can and has put innocent lives at risk.
The cost of the death penalty compared to the life sentence is excessive. Sending someone to jail
and letting them die of natural causes is way cheaper than executing them. According to the Los
Angeles Times (Williams, 2011) the death penalty cost Californians $184 million a year. Over 20
years, the state would save more than $2.34 billion if they actually sentenced everyone on death row
to life in prison. It costs 20 times more for an execution than a life–without–parole case with the cost
of attorneys being $300,000 more to represent a person on death row than someone with a life
sentence charge. Along with jury selection of capital cases being 3–4 weeks longer and costing
$200,000 more and with the heightened security at execution adding $100,663 with many other
expenses. The least expensive death penalty trial costs $1.1 million more than the most expensive
life–without–parole case. Making lifetime imprisonment the more sensible option cost wise.
The death penalty is not only inhumane but too easy for these criminals that deserve it. The life
sentence is swift, severe and certain punishment according to The American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU, 2015). Sentencing someone to die in jail is a pragmatic alternative to public safety along
with murder victims' families to still provide them with justice. The death penalty can be consider
the easy way out. Being only about 20 minutes of terror. The life sentence gets more justice out of
the criminal, they have to sit in a cell for the

Death Penalty Debate: Pros, Cons, and My Perspective

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Death Penalty Debate: Pros, Cons, and My Perspective