"Since the initiative became law, California taxpayers have unknowingly spent more than $5 billion to maintain a death row that now houses 747 convicted criminals. During this time, only 13 people have been put to death, at an eye-popping price tag of $384 million per execution." July 7, 2016 - Ron Briggs. Capital punishment is only legal in 31 states in the United States, of these 31 states a small portion still allow electrocution, gassing, hanging and firing squads. The only other industrialized democracy in the world that allows capital punishment is Japan according to CNN. Capital punishment should be illegal in the United States, it costs taxpayers millions, makes our country look bad and it doesn't work.
Capital punishment is costing everyone in the United States unnecessary money. According to deathpenaltyinfo.org, every prisoner on death row costs a whopping $90,000 more per year than a normal prisoner. This money is coming directly from your tax dollars. On top of that a case involving the death penalty can cost over $500,000 more than a case without. The death penalty is
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"My family and I believed the death penalty would serve as the ultimate warning to criminals but nearly 40 years of evidence proves it does not work", Ron Briggs. According to deathpenaltyinfo.org the highest murder rates are in the south, where the highest Capital Punishment count is. A poll in 2009 carried out by the DPIC found that police chiefs rank the death penalty last in ways to reduce crime. Think about it, I life in prison is just as bad as capital punishment. It would make sense that Capital Punishment is not working, if someone is crazy enough to commit a crime that would get them a lifetime in prison, then they are still going to do it even if their life is on the line. These criminals don't think they are going to get caught, it doesn't matter to them what the punishment is because they don't think it will affect