Capital Punishment Costs Of The Death Penalty Essay

Capital Punishment: Costs of The Death Penalty Let us suppose that killing as a form of punishment is a moral and universally accepted practice. Would it then be acceptable to issue this irreparable sanction to a select few while allowing others, equally accountable, to avoid it? It is acceptable to our criminal justice system for it seems to be standard operating procedure. Many embrace the death penalty based on the quot;eye for an eyequot; concept. There is certainly some merit to this argument and it seems quite fair and logical. Unfortunately our use of the death penalty is neither fair nor logical. Our criminal justice systems quot;lip servicequot; to the age-old concept is an insulting disguise for such an obscurity of†¦show more content†¦The price of an execution is amazing. Naturally, for such a price, we should consider our quot;valuedquot; return. In return for an execution we receive utter incapacitation; an essential return indeed but we get the same from a life sentence at a fraction of the cost. What else do we get? Perhaps we satisfy a need for revenge. Perhaps we feel that we need to keep revenge alive at any price. After all, we pay top dollar for it. So who exactly is the target of our vengeance and why? From 1930 to 1980 executions for whites numbered 1754 compared to 2066 for blacks (Bedau 1982). In 1978 blacks claimed 4888 murder victims. Of these, 536 were white or 12% (Bedau 1982). About half the death row population was black and 85% of their victims were white (Bedau 1982). Blacks who kill whites have a 25% chance of receiving the death penalty while whites have a 0% chance of receiving it for killing a black. For a black person, killing a white person could be deadly. Our criminal justice systems use of the death penalty appears increasingly void of rationale when we consider the other prices we pay. Executions take up to fifteen years or longer (Walker 1994,106). We not only pay for executions but incarceration as well! There is also the ultimate price. In the wake of the criminal justice systems quest to lethally condemn a specific offender, some innocently accused are gassed,Show MoreRelatedCapital Punishment Of The United States961 Words   |  4 Pages Capital Punishment in the United States For centuries, capital punishment has been used as a consequence of capital crime. Criminals who have committed such crimes are subject to facing the death penalty. Pickens shares, â€Å"Capital crimes are considered to be treason or terrorist attacks against the government, crimes against property when life is threatened, and crimes against a person that may include murder, assault, and robberyRead MoreDeath Penalty for Murders1634 Words   |  6 PagesIs it justifiable and effective to murder a murderer? The death penalty is one form of severe punishment in the United States. 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