Taking a stand on the death penalty can be a difficult decision. The debate for and against has raged for decades. Even though many valid points exist on both sides of the argument, it comes down to personal belief and what values are most important to the decision maker. Personally, I believe that the death penalty can be a useful tool and therefore my stand is pro-capital punishment. Not everyone will agree on this subject but perhaps one day the need to decide will no longer be present.
My stand on the death penalty is that it is a tool that can be used effectively. I believe that if someone’s crimes involve murder and psychiatrists say that the murderer is not a candidate for rehabilitation, capital punishment is the answer to a hard question. One need only look at the fact that killing the convicted saves everyone money and worry for a simple reason to be pro-capital punishment. According to the Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice, in 2008, it costs taxpayers $90,000 more per year per inmate to serve a life sentence than it would to execute that same inmate. The average cost of defending a trial in a federal death case is $620,932, about eight times that of a federal murder case in which the death penalty is not sought (Office of Defender Services of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, "Update on Cost, Quality, and Availability of Defense Representation in Federal Death Penalty Cases," June 2008; prepared by Jon Gould and Lisa Greenman). Simple accounting shows that it is wise to execute those deserving such punishment, not to house them for life on tax dollars.
Ernest van den Haag, a professor at Fordham University and proponent of the death penalty, argues that even though social scientists can not prove without a doubt that the death penalty deters murder, at least statistically, capital punishment definitely has prevented some murders. The criminals killed by execution can not possibly kill again. I think one...