Death Penalty

What is the Death Penalty?

Author Note

An essay written on the pros and cons of the death penalty. The effectiveness of the death penalty.

What is the Death Penalty?

The death penalty, by definition, is punishment in the form execution administered to a person that has been convicted of a capital crime. This is an extreme measure, typically only used on those who have committed murder that was not accidental or in self-defense. While there may be some controversy surrounding the death penalty, the good can greatly outweigh the bad.

Positives of the Death Penalty

Although many disagree, there are many more pros than there are cons involving the death penalty. One of the biggest positives, for example, is the significant decrease in crime both in prison and in society.

There are numerous crimes committed behind bars daily, one of the most common being murder. Murder in prison is a rapidly growing topic, not only involving the deaths of inmates, but of prison guards as well. While inmates may not be innocent, law-abiding citizens, many do still have families that care deeply for them and do not wish them to come to harm. Prison guards are there only to do their job, despite the fact that it puts them in harm’s way when it comes to interacting with dangerous criminals. When the most violent of these offenders are eliminated, it creates a safer environment for everyone involved.

There is also the fact that the death penalty decreases the amount of inmates, and as that number dwindles, so does the amount of tax dollars that citizens spend every year. In New York City alone, it is estimated that it costs over one hundred thousand dollars to house each inmate per year. This includes guarding, providing meals, medical care, schooling, clothing, as well as varies other necessities and comforts. Once those numbers are added up nationwide, it reaches a staggering thirty-three to thirty-nine billion dollars a year.

Another positive is simple justice. A life for...