The death penalty is one of the most debated issues in the United States. It is a judicially ordered execution of a prisoner for a capital crime. There are many people who oppose the death penalty and then there are many people who support the death penalty. People who are against it think it is inhumane or it is too expensive. The people who are for the death penalty feel that it gives a chance for individuals to be accused for their wrongful acts.
Each year billions of dollars are spent to sentence criminals to death. The death penalty costs $24 million dollars on average per execution (Pudlow). Since the death penalty is so expensive thirteen states have made it illegal to use the death penalty, and thirty seven states still have the death penalty. The US military and the US federal government still have the death penalty so thirty nine jurisdictions in all still uphold the death penalty to this day. This paper will examine reasons to support the death penalty and reasons to go against it and what type of crime determines whether or not you get the death penalty in America starting at colonial times.
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There are reasons to support the death penalty for instance it keeps people who are convicted of heinous and brutal crimes off the streets. The death penalty also keeps killers from killing again. The death penalty can also deter future criminals from committing murders (White). If felons believe that they are more likely to be arrested, convicted, and executed, they will be less inclined to commit homicides. The use of the death penalty is extremely rare since 1967 there has been one execution for every 1600 murders, or 0.06% (Hugo). There have been approximately 560,000 murders and 358 executions from 1967-1996 (Oshinsk…
…ose morale and righteous conflict among people. There is no clear answer to the resolution of this problem.
Works Cited
Hugo, Bedau. The Death Penalty in America. 1. 1. New York: Oxford University Press inc., 1998. 213. Print
Oshinsky, David. Captial Punishment on Trial. 1. 1. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2010. 178. Print
Pudlow, Jan. “Take a hard look at the real cost of the death penalty.” The Florida Bar News, 13/02/2011. Web. 13 Feb 2011..
White, Deborah. “Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty.” About.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb 2011..
Death Penalty Information Center, 11/02/2011. Web. 13 Feb 2011. .
