The History

Hook: We must consider that the French Revolution was a powerfully influential revolution of modern time. In this Revolution the death of over 2000 people for a social cause had a real consequential connection to "actus reas" and "mens reas,” which means the intention or knowledge of wrongdoing that constitutes part of a crime, as opposed to the action or conduct of the accused. The death penalty is one of the oldest consequences for an act or acts of murder around the world. Even if the death penalty as a punishment is not legal, there is still death of human life at work in society. I am not a supporter of the death penalty, but how could we ever assess or measure its success if deterrent is the aim: the guilty party is dead. 

1. The study approximates that the typical charge to Maryland taxpayers for attaining a single death sentence is $3 million - $1.9 million more than the cost of a non-death penalty case. (This includes investigation, trial, appeals, and incarceration costs.)

The death penalty is much more expensive than life without early release because the Constitution forces a long and compound court procedure for capital cases. This method is needed in order to guarantee that innocent people are not effected for crimes they did not commit, and even with these safeguards the risk of executing an innocent person cannot be completely terminated.

If the death penalty was substituted with a sentence of Life Deprived of the Opportunity of Parole*, which costs millions fewer and also guarantees that the public is protected while eliminating the risk of an irreversible mistake, the money saved could be spent on programs that actually improve the communities in which we live. The millions of dollars in savings could be spent on: education, roads, police officers and public safety programs, after-school programs, drug and alcohol treatment, child abuse prevention programs, mental health services, and services for wrongdoing victims and their relatives....