Illinois Death Penalty Case Study

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America is a society where the population keeps on rising, and if it keeps rising the more likely someone is to commit a horrible crime. Due to this increase of population the murder rates keep going up and the amount of first degree murders go up with it. According to the website deathpenaltyinfo.org the murder rates of states with no death penalty have a higher murder rate per thousand than most other states, the highest being Illinois with a murder rate of 8.2. This is a clear indication that the lack of a death penalty in Illinois is why the murder rate keeps rising, people are not afraid enough of just going to jail for their punishment and getting out 30+ years later. There needs to be a harsher punishment to people how are taking away …show more content…

A case study was shown that people who get life in prison without parole can cost just as much through the ways of appealing due to the infinite amounts they can appeal to the court and jury and people on Death Row are less likely to appeal as much as people that have a life sentence in jail without parole do. (Edwin H. Sutherland) There is the counter argument that life without parole is cheaper and yes it is at the very beginning but with time and a good lawyer that is involved in every case where there is this punishment involved the price drastically jumps. It goes from at least $100,000 to an …show more content…

Not only was the murder she commited on Travis Alexander a first-degree murder, it was cruel in the fact that she stabbed him a dozen times, shot him, and after all that happened she ended up taking pictures of the dead body. Not only is the murder a first degree murder just the fact that she kept changing her statement to make the jury feel some sympathy towards her shows really how much she should really receive the death penalty. There is the counterargument of saying it was “accidental” or “self-defense” according to certain people which one shot, 12 knife wounds doesn't seem accidental and planned out because of her taking the pictures