Cost Of Capital Punishment Essay

767 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The nature and extent of criminality

“We punish criminals principally in order to pay them back, and we execute the worst of them out of moral necessity (Berns, 1979)”. Walter Berns is stating in a society there are norms and laws written to ensure utility for every citizen. We write laws for the protection of civilization. When criminals break these laws, they disregard the will of the people and seek to chip away or erode law’s foundation and rule. By living in a society we have agreed to make and live under a set of rules for the good of the people. When we break these rules, we should be punished. When we break laws, we are breaking the promise to treat each other with care and respect. It shows contempt for one’s fellow man. As Kant ethics state we as good people must do our duty that duty is to obey and uphold the laws. When there is a price to be paid for breaking the law people will respect the law. Life is also a sacred right, gift, and privilege given by God. Only God can give this gift, therefore …show more content…

A prisoner serving the rest of their life in prison is no longer a threat to society. Capital crimes costs are significantly higher to investigate and prosecute than regular crimes. The cost does not end at the end of convictions the price tag increases when the cost of appeals to state appellate courts, state habeas corpus proceedings, and appeals to federal courts. The court proceeding often goes on for years. “Since 1978 the state of California has executed 13 people. It cost the state $4 billion: about $308 million per execution. A recent study reports that California spends an additional $184 million per year to support the death penalty (McConnell,2014)”. One can raise the question could the taxpayer's money have been better spent on finding a solution to the problems that cause murderers to take lives. Problems like poverty, drug

Show More
Related

  • Kant and Mill’s Positions on Capital Punishment

    1862 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kant believes in the theory of the categorical imperative, which states that people should “act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law.” (Kant 31) In other words, people should act only in such a way that their actions can become a law that can be applied universally (to everyone). In The Metaphysics of Morals, Kant’s definition of a crime is any act that violates the public law (Kant 105) and the right to punish is “the right a ruler has against a subject to inflict pain upon him because of his having committed a crime.” (Kant 104) According to Kant, laws exist to protect society. Without them, society cannot exist and, thus, they must be enforced in a way such that people who follow the laws are considered members of society, and people that violate the laws lose their right to be members of society and, therefore, must be punished. The level of punishment that should be advocated towards the criminal should be equivalent to the severity of the crime. Simply put, “an eye for an...

    Read More

  • Penitionism In David Boonin's The Problem Of Punishment

    1589 Words  | 4 Pages

    Have you ever wonder if there is any good justification for the policy of punishing people for breaking laws? Boonin’s definition of punishment consists of Authorized, Reprobative, Retributive, Intentional Harm. The problem of punishment incorporates three different answers. Consequentialism, which makes punishment beneficial (will do good for the people later in the future). Retributivism punishment is a fitting response to crime. As well as, the option of ‘other’ punishment can be a source of education, or expressive matter. Moreover a fourth answer can be an alternative called restitution, punishment is not necessary for social order. In The Problem of Punishment, by David Boonin deeply studies a wide range of theories that explain why the institutions is morally permitted to punish criminals. Boonin argues that no state , no-one succeeds with punishment. To make his argument stronger, he endorses abolitionism, the view

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty In Canada

    1926 Words  | 4 Pages

    Unlike popular belief, the cost of sentencing someone to death is actually more expensive than a life sentence in prison. In Washington, since the death penalty was reinstated 5 people have been put to death costing taxpayers roughly $120 million, that's roughly $24 million per case (Seattle University, 2015). A reason that people advocate strongly for the death penalty is because they believe that they should not have to pay for the costs to keep criminals fed, sheltered and imprisoned. In fact, 56% of Canadians surveyed believed that the one time cost of a lethal injection is cheaper and will allow their money to go towards something more advantageous like healthcare or education (Angus Reid). This is actually quite different from the truth, in fact is estimated that it costs $740 000 on average to put someone in prison for life. It is also estimated that it costs roughly $1.26 million to sentence someone to death (Seattle University, 2015). (There seems to be a discrepancy between how much a single case costs and how much Washington spent since the death penalty has been reinstated, but I could not find evidence to why that is). Among the reasons why the death penalty is so expensive is the fact that the time in courts is quite lengthy. Jury trials averaged 40.13 days in cases where the death penalty was being sought, but only 16.79 days

    Read More

  • The Abolishment of the Death Penalty is Necessary to Achieve a Utopian Society

    684 Words  | 2 Pages

    The United States should dispose of the death penalty due to the astronomical price it costs taxpayers to execute a prisoner. It is sometimes suggested that abolishing capital punishment is unfair to the taxpayer, as though life imprisonment were obviously more expensive than executions. If one takes into account all of the relevant costs, the reverse is true. The death penalty is not now, nor has it ever been, a more economical alternative to life imprisonment. A murderer trial normally takes much longer when the death penalty is at issue than when it is not. Litigation costs- including the time of the judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and court reporters are all borne by the taxpayer. Florida, with one of the nations largest death rows, is a ...

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Capital Punishment

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cases in which the death penalty is gone after are more expensive and take more time to solve than non capital cases. “Even when a trial wasn’t necessary, those cases where the death penalty was sought still cost about twice as much as those where death was not sought” (Erb 1). The added money is due to legal representation, enhanced security for death row, and the costs it takes to go through the motions of a trial such as this. "The additional cost of confining an inmate to death row, as compared to the maximum security prisons where those sentenced to life without possibility of parole ordinarily serve their sentences, is $90,000 per year per inmate” (The Death Penalty 8). With California’s current death row (670) this would generate $63.3 million dollars per year. This is important because it shows factual stats about how much these cases cost vs regular cases and how much money could be saved if the death penalty was eliminated. These statistics show my thesis is correct because the high costs are one of the reasons why the death penalty might be

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ng prisoners on death row alone costs 90,000 dollars a year for housing and staffing extra guards.(3) Thirteen years is the average time a person will spend on death row so that is slightly over a million dollars that will be spent on one person coming out of the taxpayers money. Even the morally ambiguous are being affected by the decision to keep this practice in place. In any era, even outside the economic downturn our country is facing right now, that is too much money to throwing down the toilet.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    Upon examination, one finds capital punishment to be economically weak and deficient. A common misconception of the death penalty is that the cost to execute a convicted criminal is cheaper than to place a convict in prison for life without parole. Due to the United States judicial system, the process of appeals, which is inevitable with cases involving death as the sentence, incurs an extreme cost and is very time consuming. The cost of a capital trial and execution can be two to six times greater than the amount of money needed to house and feed a prisoner for life. "Studies show incarceration costs roughly $20,000 per inmate per year ($800,000 if a person lives 40 years in prison). Research also shows a death-penalty ease costs roughly $2 million per execution," (Kaplan 2). Capital punishment is extremely expensive and depletes state governments of money that could be used for a wide range of programs that are beneficial. As Belolyn Wiliams-Harold, an author for the journal Black Enterprise, writes that county governments are typically responsible for the costs of prosecution and the costs of the criminal trial, including attorney's fees, and salaries for the members of the courtroom. All this money is spent at the expense of the corrections department and crime prevention programs, which are already is strapped for cash (Williams-Harlod 1). These "financial constraints," such as capital punishment, do not promote a healthy, commercial society, but actually cost and harm the public.

    Read More

  • Abolishing the Death Penalty in Louisiana

    539 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although some claim that “getting rid” of Louisiana’s worst criminals gives the public peace of mind, this peace of mind comes at a tremendous cost. The extra money spent on the death penalty could be spent on other means of achieving justice and making the community safer: compensation for victims, better lighting in crime areas, more police on the streets, even longer periods of incarceration for certain offenders, or projects to reduce unemployment. Quite a few jurisdictions with the death penalty have recently had to cut back on other vital services. In some states, people are being released from prison early as a cost saving measure. Other states are closing libraries and government funded offices. A second reason why the costs of the death penalty are so central is that they play a key role in how the death penalty is implemented. Supporters and opponents of the death penalty agree that the capital punishment system should not take unnecessary risks with innocent lives and should be applied with a strict fairness. As with many things, the death penalty really isn’t a bargain. There is no abstract dollar figure for the cost of the death penalty and it depends on the quality of the system one demands.

    Read More

  • Richard Hickock And Smith Character Analysis

    1011 Words  | 3 Pages

    The death penalty is much more expensive than life without parole because the Constitution requires a long and complex judicial process for capital cases. If the death penalty was replaced with a sentence of Life Without the Possibility of Parole, which costs millions less and also ensures that the public is protected while eliminating the risk of an mistake, the money saved could be spent on programs that actually improve the communities in which we live. Scientific studies have consistently failed to demonstrate that executions deter people from committing crime anymore than long prison sentences. Moreover, states without the death penalty have much lower murder rates. The South accounts for 80% of US executions and has the highest regional murder rate (Death Penalty

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment is Not Moral

    1309 Words  | 3 Pages

    One issue that continues to divide America is the death penalty. In the United States today, 32 states allow the death penalty as the maximum form of punishment and 18 states have since abolished it and have replaced it with Life without parole. As of July 1, 2013 there are a total of 3,095 inmates currently incarcerated on Death Row. Since 1976, 1,370 death row inmates have been executed (“Facts on the Death Penalty”). Overall, it is a very controversial topic with many different views. Many supporters of the death penalty believe that it is more ethical to carry out capital punishment since those who are receiving it have committed the most heinous and unforgivable crimes. The evidence and research shows that capital punishment is not morally permissible. Many studies show that the death penalty costs much more than life without parole for the max punishment (Dieter 6). There is also a lack of evidence on the deterrent effect that retribution and the death penalty has on would-be murderers. The criminal justice system is not perfect and is bound to make mistakes. Innocent beings have been placed on death row later being exonerated, some even after execution. States should abolish capital punishment and replace it with a life sentence without the possibility for parole and include restitution.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Death Penalty

    2435 Words  | 5 Pages

    Many people, including some higher educated people, tend to believe that executing someone is a lot cheaper than the alternative, which is life in prison without the possibility of parole. Indeed, this thought seems like common sense. However, extensive research has been conducted that contradicts that belief. For instance, a study conducted in Maryland, in 2008, found that the state spends roughly 1.9 million dollars more per capital case, compared to non-capital cases (Warden, 2009). But how can this be some may ask. Well, the reason capital punishment costs more than life without the possibility of parole, is because death penalty cases are longer and more expensive. Because the capital punishment is an irreversible sentence, the state, or government, is required to heighten the defendant’s due process in order to decrease the chance of the defendant being innocent (DPIC). Furthermore, not only is it more expensive for the trial phase, it is also a higher price for a state to imprison death row inmates compared to other

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Persuasive Essay

    1461 Words  | 3 Pages

    Capital punishment has been a controversial topic in association to any person condemned to a serious committed crime. Capital punishment has been a historical punishment for any cruel crime. Issues associated to things such as the different methods used for execution in most states, waste of taxpayers’ money by performing execution, and how it does not serve as any form of justice have been a big argument that raise many eyebrows. Capital punishment is still an active form of deterrence in the United States. The history of the death penalty explains the different statistics about capital punishment and provides credible information as to why the form of punishment should be abolished by every state. It is believed

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Essay: Benefits of the Death Penalty

    2127 Words  | 5 Pages

    Crime is everywhere. Wherever we look, we find criminals and crime. Criminals have become a part of our daily lives. Does this mean we let them be the darkness of our society? No, definitely not. Eliminating crime and criminals is our duty, and we cannot ignore it. Getting the rightly accused to a just punishment is very important. Some criminals commit a crime because they have no other option to survive, but some do it for fun. I do not advocate death penalty for everybody. A person, who stole bread from a grocery store, definitely does not deserve death penalty. However, a serial killer, who kills people for fun or for his personal gain, definitely deserves death penalty. Death penalty should continue in order to eliminate the garbage of our society. Not everybody deserves to die, but some people definitely do. I support death penalty because of several reasons. Firstly, I believe that death penalty serves as a deterrent and helps in reducing crime. Secondly, it is true that death penalty is irreversible, but it is hard to kill a wrongly convicted person due to the several chances given to the convicted to prove his innocence. Thirdly, death penalty assures safety of the society by eliminating these criminals. Finally, I believe in "lex tallionis" - a life for a life.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Should be Abolished

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    If a criminal is sentenced to life in jail, then the cost of their imprisonment would be many times this. In the USA, the average cost per prisoner annually in jail is $29,000. The cost of the drugs used for the lethal injection is believed to be $86.08. This is far less than the cost of keeping a prisoner in jail, and would save the government money that could be used to try and make the community a better and safer place. Secondly, many believe that capital punishment is right because of the justice given to the victim’s family.

    Read More

  • The Purpose of Punishment in a Modern Society

    2222 Words  | 5 Pages

    Punishment has been in existence since the early colonial period and has continued throughout history as a method used to deter criminals from committing criminal acts. Philosophers believe that punishment is a necessity in today’s modern society as it is a worldwide response to crime and violence. Friedrich Nietzche’s book “Punishment and Rehabilitation” reiterates that “punishment makes us into who we are; it creates in us a sense of responsibility and the ability to take and release our social obligations” (Blue, Naden, 2001). Immanuel Kant believes that if an individual commits a crime then punishment should be inflicted upon that individual for the crime committed. Cesare Beccaria, also believes that if there is a breach of the law by individuals then that individual should be punished accordingly.

    Read More

More about Cost Of Capital Punishment Essay

Open Document