Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty Reinstatement

Ever sense humans have been around there has been this idea of taking responsibility for ones actions. Whether it is something small like getting grounded for sticking gum in your little sister’s hair, or something bigger like getting fired from a job because you were late for work, people have always had to face consequences in attempt to learn right from wrong. Generally society’s idea of right and wrong can easily be determined. Most people accept the fact that murder is wrong and that punishment is necessary. Over the years punishments have changed in many countries. While some countries believe in cutting off someone’s hand for stealing, other countries believe in just throwing people in jail. The United States over the years has changed

People who commit such crimes often are aware of what they are doing, and can often have skill at covering up their actions. This can make it hard for jury’s to determine who is guilty for a crime and who is innocent. Mistakes can be made, and innocent people could be charged guilty. “Since the reinstatement of the modern death penalty, 87 people have been freed from death row because they were later proven innocent. That is a demonstrated error rate of 1 innocent person for every 7 persons executed” (Top 10 Pros and Cons). Being accused for a crime that someone else committed and serving punishment for it would be not only unfair but unjust. It is impossible to get back the time that one would have spent sitting in a prison cell, away from their loved ones, while receiving punishment for something that they didn’t do. What is even more impossible though is being sentenced to death for the actions of someone else and then being brought back to life. Many people will argue that 1 in 7 people being falsely accused is not a significant enough number to prove that the system is flawed, but that is a 14% chance that someone innocent could be killed. There is no reason to even risk 14% of people lives when the risk could be completely

Prisons provide shelter, food, clothing, and water to people who don’t actually work for it. Many people believe that giving someone a life sentence in prison ends up costing more after adding up all future living expenses than just simply sentencing someone to death. But “A Seattle University study examining the costs of the death penalty in Washington found that each death penalty case cost an average of $1 million more than a similar case where the death penalty was not sought ($3.07 million, versus $2.01 million). Defense costs were about three times as high in death penalty cases and prosecution costs were as much as four times higher than for non-death penalty cases” (“Costs of the Death Penalty”). So in reality the $1 million not spent on the extra attorneys, the second trial vs. just the one, etc. could be spent on paying for that persons living necessities. There is no proof that continuing the death penalty will make conditions any better for homeless people, instead the money would be used in prisons in different