Benefits Of The Death Penalty

The death penalty has had a lot of controversy surrounding it for many, many years. Many people believe it should be outlawed and that and falls under cruel and unusual punishment, which would be against the Constitution. These people may also believe that the costs of using the death penalty outweigh the costs of imprisonment for life. However, many others support the use of the death penalty, under certain terms. Supporters believe that in many cases the death penalty is the right answer and that it may be better economically. There is also argument on where to draw the line and what calls for the death penalty and what does not. In addition to this, many people do not take into account the economic effects that the death penalty has

The first of these are the investigation costs. A lot of money needs to go in this however, in order to prevent false accusations and to gain enough evidence to prosecute the correct person. The next death penalty costs are the trial and sentencing costs. Murder trials are often long, especially if there is not a lot of evidence pointing to one specific person. Everyone involved in the case must be paid, including lawyers, judges, and guards. In addition to this the court that is holding the case will also charge court fees. Next are the appeal costs that may occur. Any person being charged with the death penalty will most likely try to appeal this. This adds more court expenses and more time is tacked on to the case. While most cases are not actually appealed, this process causes many unnecessary expenses and just adds to the large cost of death penalty cases. Next are the expenses of the people on death row. While these are just prison costs, there are many people on death row for an extended period of time and these costs add up very easily and quickly. Lastly, are the actual execution fees. While these are a small fraction of the cost in general, a lot must be paid for. These include lethal injection costs, guard costs, facility costs, and more. After the injection has been done, a coroner is also required to pronounce the individual as dead. The state must also pay for the funeral and burial or cremation of the deceased individuals. While these are quite hefty costs, it only amounts to a fraction of keeping someone in prison for life. The only difference is the expenses are paid of the time of the trial as opposed to over the years that ther inmate is in prison. Overall, the death penalty, while very expensive, costs way less than holding someone who could be killed in prison for