StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Is It Cheaper to Keep Inmates on Death Row or Execute - Research Paper Example

Cite this document
Summary
Institution: Instructor: Death row life imprisonment vs. Execution The argument whether it is cheaper to keep inmates on death row in jail for life or execute them has been the cause of debate among a number of people, scholars, jurists, economists and state officials…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.4% of users find it useful
Is It Cheaper to Keep Inmates on Death Row or Execute
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Is It Cheaper to Keep Inmates on Death Row or Execute"

Download file to see previous pages

This essay will be outlining the varying opinions and suggestions for the arguments. One reason why it is cheaper to keep inmates on death row for life imprisonment than to execute them is because of the number of appeals that take place by the yet to be executed inmates. During the appeals, the tax payers bear the cost of hiring lawyers, which, when calculated, comes up to millions of dollars. In comparison, in case a person is imprisoned for life, the costs of maintaining the convicts can only run from 15-25 thousand dollars annually, which is approximated to be about one million after a period of 40 years.

The costs of retaining a lawyer is more severe when the crime committed is a capital case, hence it will consume an amount of legal and maintenance fees. This is because the cases can take 20 years or more before any verdict is reached, which accumulates and adds up to the sum of maintenance which is hard with the worsening economic conditions (Trevor, 136). Another key reason why capital punishment like execution is being discussed and discouraged is the risk of convicting an innocent person.

Majority of the convicts have been found to be innocent after DNA tests have been carried out. The costs of carrying out appeals are expensive as majority of the lawyers who handle such cases are well recognized and experienced, and they would require large sums of money to be hired. In some places in Texas, United States, it is difficult to find lawyers who will take up other cases as they view some of the cases as non- lucrative. This is despite the fact that statistics show that if one hires a good lawyer the chances of being sentenced to death are considerably less (Mutual, 165).

Other costs that accrue from executions include costs resulting from a number of DNA tests, costs of relocating inmates into specialized segregated rooms as well as costs of hiring and training specialized guards to look after the inmates. Statistics in Europe have shown that the number of death sentences in the continent have gone down by 7% in 1999 to 15% in 2008, the reason being that a second chance can be achieved during life imprisonment. In addition to the complex appeals, procedures and tasks, a person who is well convicted has another chance or possibility of repeatedly applying for pardons which then adds up to the excessive appeals procedures.

It has also shown that prosecutors in Dallas County have stopped asking for death penalties, instead they are requesting life in prison with the possibility of being pardoned after a period of 40 years. It is estimated that a return to execution rate of six per year would cost approximately 90 million dollars annually (Michael & Borg, 62). However, other people have a different view, arguing that death penalty is the only sure and open way to clearly indicate that justice has been done. They state that even though the case may take longer and large costs might be encountered, eventually justice will be accomplished.

In support of this, a pro-capital punishment group led by Kent Scheidegger argues that if an effective appeal is brought, the whole process then must cost less and eventually justice can be obtained in the shortest time possible. The only way was to revamp the appeal process to take place more quickly so that the inmates need not spend more of their years before execution can take place (Hans, Klas & Villian, 56). According to California crime statistics, its appeal system produces a wait of about 20

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Is It Cheaper to Keep Inmates on Death Row or Execute Research Paper”, n.d.)
Is It Cheaper to Keep Inmates on Death Row or Execute Research Paper. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/english/1450302-is-it-cheaper-to-keep-inmates-on-death-row-or
(Is It Cheaper to Keep Inmates on Death Row or Execute Research Paper)
Is It Cheaper to Keep Inmates on Death Row or Execute Research Paper. https://studentshare.org/english/1450302-is-it-cheaper-to-keep-inmates-on-death-row-or.
“Is It Cheaper to Keep Inmates on Death Row or Execute Research Paper”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/english/1450302-is-it-cheaper-to-keep-inmates-on-death-row-or.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Is It Cheaper to Keep Inmates on Death Row or Execute

Death Penalty Should Continue

Instructor name Date death Penalty Should Continue Introduction We are a just society and the death penalty is a just punishment for the most heinous of crimes.... Societies utilization of the death penalty is thought of by a minority faction of Americans to be the most obvious and atrocious example of cruel and unusual punishment.... Those who are against the use of capital punishment do not think that the government should be given the authority to subject any of its people to death....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Enhancing Correctional and Rehabilitation Results in Prision

Such an approach also promotes the maturity of the individuals, equipping them with better decision-making skills that are vital for them to keep them away from crime after release.... hellip; Instead, prisons now are more broadly viewed as corrections facilities in order to rehabilitate and modify the behavior of the convicts in preparation for their assimilation back to society, most especially for cases that do not warrant life sentence or death penalty.... In hindsight, in the 1970s, it was viewed that inmates who undergo rehabilitation are being left off easy and advocating such rehabilitations were seen as naivety....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

Effectivity of the Death Penalty

Texas, with over 300 people on death row, is spending an estimated $2.... It also provides an emotional and psychological release for the criminal who suffers the most in death row.... we prevent the clogging of our judicial system with motion after motion for reconsideration on behalf of the sentenced death row convict.... Opting to keep the most dangerous criminals under lock and key for the rest of their lives without a chance of getting a parole rather than trying to right a crime with another crime....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

Influence of the United Nations in Implementation of Death Penalty

It asked them to improve the conditions of detention of the individuals on death row.... 3 Some examples are the manner in which death row inmates are kept in their cells; the torment of being under the never ending threat of execution; and the confidential nature of the imposition of the death penalty.... TABLE OF CONTENTS Influence of the United Nations in protecting Human Rights, with regard to the Implementation of the death Penalty 2 Chapter 1 – Introduction 2 United Nations 2 Functioning of the UN 4 Chapter 2 – Methodology 9 Chapter 3 – UN Commission on Human Rights 11 Other UN Bodies and Human Rights 11 UN Human Rights Council 12 Chapter 4 – United Nations and Prohibition of death Penalty 16 Execution of the Innocent 19 In Defence of Capital Punishment 47 Chapter 5 – Conclusions & Recommendations 51 Bibliography 55 Statutes / Resolutions 55 Books / Journals 56 Cases 57 Internet Sources 58 Influence of the United Nations in protecting Human Rights, with regard to the Implementat… ion of the death Penalty Chapter 1 – Introduction United Nations The UN was formed after World War II, in the year 1945....
42 Pages (10500 words) Dissertation

The Death Penalty Punishment

hellip; Retentionists would respond about this confusing concept of the death penalty by saying that, the death penalty is a more fitting punishment for one who But imprisonment without parole should serve as an alternative to the death penalty, and should be given enough and serious consideration.... The death penalty should be stopped and must be prohibited (Pojman and Reiman 72).... This essay's main agenda or main aim is to support the argument that the death penalty should be abolished....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Capital Punishment - Pro and Contra

 … Capital punishment or death penalty refers to when “the government takes a person's life as punishment for wrongdoing”.... Today, the term 'death penalty' is used interchangeably with the term capital punishment.... In the 17th and 18th century America, men, women, and children would attend a public and solemn occasion where death was imposed by hanging.... Execution in public was aimed at frightening members of the public in order to avoid crime, administering justice to the accused, and giving the convicted a chance to repent and gain salvation after death....
23 Pages (5750 words) Research Paper

Death Penalty Should Not Be Allowed

In an attempt at answering the questions in as far as the death sentence is concerned, this paper presents an examination of the death penalty; it seeks to further the argument that the death penalty should not be allowed.... Arguments posed by supporters of the death penalty are also discussed.... Therefore, if the UDHR lays down universally agreed standards on which humans should treat each other, does the death penalty has a place in the 21st century?...
12 Pages (3000 words) Term Paper

Death Penalty Argumentative Essay

Statistics reveal that many death row inmates are likely to die of natural death in prison due to the long duration it takes before their execution.... Today, fourteen states in the United States of America don't execute death penalties on criminal offenders.... Currently, six procedures could be used to execute offenders.... The truth is that it is becoming harder to execute any criminal convicted of murder.... This is a death Penalty Argumentative Essay....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us