Death Penalty

Pro Prison No Death

Did you know that since reestablishment of the death penalty in 1976 there have been approximately one thousand, thirty deaths in the United States? Did you also know that as of April of last year there were nearly three thousand, four hundred inmates on death row? On would be surprised to hear that in the United States in 1990 there were 19 child executions. Yes, children, kids under the age of eighteen! Although child execution is now outlawed, it was once practiced. Most would agree that this is horrible, they're just kids, but honestly what's the difference? Not to sound heartless or cruel, but a life is a life no matter the age and according to our government they have the right to take yours, right? Wrong! Punishment by means of execution is unjust; its cost is not less than imprisonment, and is certainly not proven effective in deterring future crimes.

"Although just in principle, the death penalty is unjust in practice" (Pojman). One person or even a group of people should not be deciding of another's right to live. It seems natural for an individual to get fired up when angered and generally think irrationally. The first thought of man is always revenge, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" its been said since the beginning of time. Implying the crime committed shall be the punishment received. In the heat of the moment and in all the commotion this idea sounds wonderful but it is truly absurd. There are so many "ifs" when putting someone's life on the line. What if they're innocent? What if they were set up? What if there was no other choice? Who are we to decide if someone lives or dies? There is increasingly too much gray area and inconsistency to be jeopardizing the

Reynolds 2

soul of another. In addition, if we enforce capital punishment there is zero room for human error. With the death penalty intact, if an innocent person is executed he is often forgotten about, at least by the judicial system. However, if a guiltless person is sentenced to jail instead, he is still eligible to be proven so. We all know that man makes mistakes; neither our government nor are court systems are perfect. As Theodore Roosevelt stated, "No matter how careful the courts are, the possibility of perjured testimony, mistaken honest testimony, and human error remain all too real. We have no way of judging how many innocent persons have been executed, but we can be certain that there were some."

Besides falling short of justice, the death penalty also falls short in cost efficiency. There is a common misconception that withholding a prisoner for life "sucks up all our tax money." This is completely untrue; in fact, it cost is far more to carry out a death sentence than a life sentence. It's been recorded that capital punishment costs 116,700 dollars more than a life sentence without parole. In Florida alone, 3.2 million dollars is spent per execution. (Jarvis). There are a number of factors which contribute to this pocket draining cost. First, the alleged must be prosecuted, costing anywhere from 200,000 to 300,000 dollars for a capital crime. Next the criminal must be convicted, perceptibly creating more trails, eating up more money. Then, once convicted of a capital crime, the prosecutor has the right to an appeal, and there are many levels of appeal that must be surpassed. Finally, if the prosecutor is convicted, but not of a capital crime, then there are amplified trial expenses in addition to their cost of jail time (Morris 253). It is apparent that besides the many lawyers that are being employed during all these trials and appeal trials, we are also all the while paying for the prisoner to wait in jail until his punishment is settled. A life sentence; however, is rarely appealed and typically lasts 24 years due to frequent murders within the prison