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Leticia Duran
English 1010
02/13/2012
The Price of Death
The death penalty causes mixed feelings for many, even controversy. For some, the issue
is an obvious response many people hesitate and wonder whether it is the best alternative. The
death penalty or capital punishment is “the premeditated and planned taking of a human life by a
government in response to a crime committed by that legally convicted person” (White, the
Death Penalty). The pro side argues that man’s innate desire to live and a fear of death aids in
preventing and decreasing crime. The death penalty is enforced to discourage others from
committing similar crimes. Also prosecuting criminals will keep current inmates and guards safe
by not being exposed to dangerous individuals. The cons for the death penalty include possibly
prosecuting an innocent person, which has happened already. This has led to a furthered disbelief
in the justice system. Also many on the con side argue that every human being is entitled to a
second chance. Many on this side question how executing a murderer differentiates society as a
whole from that murderer.
In Maricopa, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio operates the Maricopa County jail, which he
runs in his own particular way, the inmates wear pink underwear. He brought back the black and
white inmate uniform, he has the inmate’s camp out in tents in order to house more inmates
when the capacity is overflowing, and inmates are also limited to two meals per day to save on
labor costs. They are limited to G-rated programs, while coffee, cigarettes, and skin magazines
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are forbidden. The results of such tactics have led to lower repeat offenders. Such an approach
should be applied to the penal system as a whole to further discourage people from committing
crimes.
In many jails and prisons, the wants and needs of the inmates are catered to, from
providing them with unnecessary medications, cigarettes and coffee to special television and
food privileges this makes the prison life sound more appealing than life on the streets. Prisons
need to be tougher and inmates need to be reminded as to why they are there in the first place.
While most taxpayers choose to obey the law, the criminals who have opted to disobey must now
pay for their crime but why society must make it such a comforting experience. Some have even
gone as far as committing crimes for the sole purpose of having a roof over their head and a
warm meal to eat.
The execution of a murderer doesn’t help improve society. Arguments from supporters of
the death penalty attempt to persuade others that the punishment creates fear, and will discourage
non-criminals from turning to a life of crime. But in response, most murderers will act upon their
own impulses, and will not take the time to stop and think that death row is a possible
punishment for their crime. Someone with enough courage to kill another human being may
possibly have undiagnosed instabilities, therefore capital punishment seems useless. Hundreds
and thousands of criminals on the streets who continue to get away with crimes, so the few who
are actually incarcerated will die while the others run free. Instead, government has to create
effective ways to reduce criminal behavior in all forms. Opposition to the death penalty should
ultimately lead to inmates being put to work, helping them earn a living like the taxpayers do. By
creating a harsher environment in the prisons might eliminate some crime and the perceived need
for capital punishment.
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“The exorbitant costs of capital punishment are actually making America less safe
because financial and legal resources are badly needed being diverted from effective crime
fighting strategies” (Dieter, What Politicians Don’t Say About The High Cost of the Death
Penalty; October 1992). With millions of dollars spent each year on capital punishment, states
are struggling with tight budgets and are forced to lay off police officers. This leaves streets
unprotected and on low guard. The end results are escalating crime with no benefits from
pushing the death penalty. An example is Texas with the highest number of people on death
row. They annually spend upwards of $ 2.3 million per case, yet the Texas murder rate remains
one of the highest in the nation. Seeing this outcome is not very promising. Should be looking
for other ways to improve the safety of the country rather than spending so much to execute a
few. In the brink of the crisis facing the United States, many states are opting to oppose the death
penalty. These states feel it is unnecessary to make budget cuts for expensive prosecutions, such
as with the death penalty.
In 2008, the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice released an
exhaustive report on the state’s capital punishment system, concluding that it was
“dysfunctional” and “broken.” The report found that the state was spending $137 million per
year on death penalty cases. The Commission estimated a comparable system that sentenced the
same inmates to a maximum punishment of life without parole would cost only $11.5 million per
year (Dieter, Reconsidering the Death Penalty). Such statistics demonstrate the high cost, and
even prove how ineffective it is to pursue capital punishment. Taxpayer’s money needs to be
invest in better training for police officers, community policing , programs to control drug and
alcohol abuse as well as neighborhood watch programs that are more prone to show
effectiveness, thereby contributing to the well being of the country.
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Americans need to be aggressive on the issue and be wise with the decision considering
the benefits and the disadvantages of capital punishment. If the disadvantages outweigh what the
justice systems believe is supposed to improve, then the system needs to be revised. Letting go of
police officers will not help decrease crime on the streets. Limiting the resources that keep the
country safe is not the right choice. The country needs to become stronger to outsmart the
criminals and beat them at their own game. 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 one innocent person for every seven persons executed. The death
penalty gives closure to the victim's families who have suffered so much. Some family members
of crime victims may take years or decades to recover from the shock and loss of a loved one.
Some may never recover. One of the things that helps hasten this recovery is to achieve some
kind of closure. Life in prison just means the criminal is still around to haunt the victim. A death
sentence brings finality to a horrible chapter in the lives of these family members.
Life is sacred and no one but a master creator can take life away. The world is full of
crime, where evil often trumps the purity of society. Yes individuals who attempt and even take
the lives of others. But this is also a civilized world, and there are resources to punish the
wrongdoer. To put so much of tax dollars towards the well being of the country, why not come
up with a better alternative. Also create a better way to spend this money without the need of
terminating a life; rather than spending thousands of dollars on trials to pursue the death of the
criminal, let invest that money in ways to improve society, helping eliminate crime on the streets.