The Death Penalty vs. Life Sentence

The Death Penalty vs. Life Sentence

The Death Penalty vs. Life Sentence

Determining whether an individual should receive a death penalty or life sentence based on the crime he or she may have committed has been a major controversial debate in the United States and our Judicial System. Along with any possible solution to a problem, it will come with its pros and cons. It may have to do with the fact that costs of the death penalty including pre-trial and trial costs, appeals, and incarceration on death row has rapidly risen past 4 billion dollars since 1978 in California alone. Alongside the costs, many seem to believe that the death penalty can easily be a result of wrongful convictions in innocent people as well. These are just a few important factors that individuals look at when discussing this delicate subject.
First, the United States has a well-known history of performing various executions that have been dated back to the early 1660s. According to a recent study provided by the Death Penalty Information Center “Since 2010, the United States has executed 143 people who had been sentenced to death.” Support for the death penalty has slowly been dropping over the years, and while some are still for it, large amounts of people are strongly against it. The biggest argument supporting the death penalty is that it gives the victim’s family and friends a sense of closure. This entire process is primarily extensive and can be emotionally and financially draining for the victim’s close ones. As a result, the death penalty is a form of consolation for the life lost of their loved one.
On the contrary, the term “Life in Prison” briefly describes that the person convicted has to spend the rest of his entire life in jail, and depending on which state they are in, they may or may not be eligible for parole. For people in support of the life sentence rather than a death sentence argue that it is clearly more reasonable than executing a human being because the cost of fulfilling a death sentence is...

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