Why The Death Penalty Is Wrong

The Death Penalty

The death penalty has been, and still is, one of the most discussed topics in the United States. Its opponents argue it to be an unnecessary and violent punishment because it seems no less barbaric than the crime, as well as it is sometimes not believed to serve its purpose as a deterrent. However, there is a fundamental difference between the loss of an innocent life and the execution of a criminal in accordance with the law. Death penalty might not be the most ideal solution, but abolishing it would put in danger the lives of many innocent and law-abiding citizens. Not only has the death penalty proven to be constitutional, cost effective, ethically correct deterrent of future murders, but it also is a punishment that fits

These analysts count that between three and 18 lives would be saved by the execution of each convicted murderer. Naci Mocan, an economics professor at the University of Colorado at Denver, co-authored a 2003 study and re-examined a 2006 study that found that each execution results in five fewer homicides, and commuting a death sentence means five more homicides. In an interview, he states:

Science does really draw a conclusion...There is no question about it. The conclusion is there is a deterrent effect. The results are robust. They don 't really go away. I oppose the death penalty. But my results show that the death penalty (deters) - what am I going to do, hide them? ( As cited in The Death Penalty in the United States,p. 3

To come to this conclusion, we should only compare the death penalty cases to its alternative, the death penalty-equivalent life without parole cases. Dudley Sharp, Death Penalty Resources Director of Justice For All (JFA), in an Oct. 1, 1997 Justice for All presentation titled "Death Penalty and Sentencing Information," wrote that there is no question that the upfront costs of the death penalty are significantly higher than for equivalent LWOP cases. But, over time, equivalent LWOP cases are much more expensive –from $1.2 million to $3.6 million- than death penalty cases. Diane Robertson calculates in her book “Tears from Heaven, Voices from Hell: The Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty ...” that the cost of the death penalty is estimated to be at $2million per case. A life without parole prisoner faces on average 30 or 40 years in prison while the annual cost of incarceration in a maximum security prison is $40,000 to $50,000 a year (p. 29).In conclusion, the death penalty cost is exaggerated by its opponents or people who improperly have compared the cost of all LWOP cases to death penalty