Pro Capital Punishment
Uploaded by BenD on Dec 16, 2007
Capital Punishment
The use of capital punishment in the U.S. is a growing concern for most American citizens. Controversy of whether to abolish it or not creates moral confusion. On one hand it brings justice, yet on the other its taking a life. According to statistics seventy percent of Americans are in support of the death penalty, while only thirty percent are against it. This clearly shows that a majority of people want to continue using this type of punishment ("Fact" 1). Digging deeper within the debate, one would find that there are two sides to every party’s opinion; whether it be religious, governmental, or other. After examining expenditures, morality, deterrent compensations, and retributions, one will likely conclude that the benefits of Capital punishment outweigh the harm.
Nearly all civilizations historically have used execution to punish offenders and criminals alike; though customs are different today. Since WWII people routinely try to abolish the death penalty. Today ninety countries have abolished capital punishment for all offences, eleven for all offences except under special circumstances, and thirty-two others have not used it for at least ten years. A total of sixty-four countries still retain it. This includes the People's Republic of China who performed more than 3,400 executions in 2004, amounting to more than 90% of executions worldwide. Within 12 states, the US executed 59 prisoners the same year (Penketh). To abolish the death penalty, people would have to prove points in every aspect of its existence.
The economical argument that people must always consider is the cost of the death penalty opposed to life imprisonment. According to California state records, the operating expense to finance the penalty costs tax payers more than $114 million annually (Tempest). A 2005 report from Newsday concluded that New Jersey tax payers have spent a total of $253 million since 1983, which is an incomparably greater cost than if capital punishment was idle (Newsday). "A 1991 study of the Texas criminal justice system estimated the cost of appealing capital murder at $2,316,655. In contrast, the cost of housing a prisoner in a Texas maximum security prison single cell for 40 years is estimated at $750,000" (Punishment). People have raised the question, “Why keep the death penalty if it is so costly?” and have also stated, “It is a...