Revise and add little more detail to essay

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Hye Seo

Russell Kellogg

ECON 3400

8 November 2013

The death penalty is the decision of the state to execute an individual on the account of their horrendous crimes. Those who are in favor of the death penalty choose to make the individual, responsible for the crime, pay for their actions through a definite means. Those who are against the death penalty allow the individual the luxury of life. The argument is that the installment of capital punishment does not deter crime. If that were the case, then all prisons should be abolished for they are not preventing crime from occurring as well. In the case of Nathan Dunlap, who has taken the lives of four innocent people in a local Chuck E Cheese in Aurora, the people have decided to hold him accountable for his ghastly actions made in August of 1993.

I would argue in favor of the death penalty in the case of Nathan Dunlap. By choosing to hold him accountable for the lives he has taken in cold blood, it would benefit society by setting an example of him. Keeping him in prison would merely be a waste of taxpayer’s money, which he should not have the luxury to enjoy. Allowing such an individual to spend their entire life in prison would merely allow him to live his life without holding him accountable for his terrible actions. He would be provided with healthcare, boarding, and food – simple things that were taken from the individuals he has murdered. If Nathan Dunlap didn’t have to face the fear of death, he wouldn’t contemplate the consequences of his murderous actions. This may also encourage others who have committed crimes to not fear consequences for their own actions. It would be an economic benefit by dealing with murderers through capital punishment. The murderer has already been given the right to a fair trial, in which he was found guilty and thus convicted with the appropriate means. His execution has been postponed for twenty years since the murders took place; this is a sufficient amount of time for the legal processes to gather evidence and support to rightly convict the man for his crimes. He was given the same rights as any other individual who has yet to commit a crime like his. Research and statistics show that states who uphold the capital punishment have higher murder rates than those who do not. This is due to population density as well as urban infrastructure. Noting this, the urban states with higher murder and crime rates would see an increase in those rates if capital punishment was not installed in that state.

In the United States, when the death penalty was temporarily suspended from 1972 to 1976, the number of murder crimes went up significantly. For example, in Texas, where aggressive capital was enforced in 1991-1999, there was a 60% decrease in murder rates.

The argument that the death penalty does not benefit society can be counterattacked through statistical research. If murderers had the punishment of the death penalty hanging over their heads, it would decrease the number of individuals to fully carry out their murder rampage.

Murder is one of the worst crimes an individual can inflict upon another human being. People fear death and using death as a punishment will decrease the likelihood that certain individuals will commit a crime. Those who are against the death penalty lean towards alternate means of judgment, such as life without parole. This should not be the preferred route because murders and punishable crimes can be committed behind prison walls as well. Merely spending time behind bars for the remainder of one’s life will not necessarily make someone own up to actions. They do not take responsibility for their actions by nonchalantly passing time on taxpayers’ dollars. We have a justice system set up for a reason, and it is through strong belief in that system and how it operates, that we are able to find and convict guilty criminals. Thorough analysis should surely be done to be sure that the correct individual is paying for the crimes they committed. Years of legal processes, focusing on murder trials and severe crimes, are conducted before decisions are set in stone. These matters are not taken lightly. A decision is not made on a whim; there is significant data and evidence supporting the ruling for capital punishment. There are rare cases in which some individuals are wrongfully convicted, but to withhold the death penalty due to those rare cases would not benefit society as a whole. Though it would seem like a cynical viewpoint, it would be better to sacrifice a few in favor for the betterment of the majority. Capital punishment provides a safer environment for society and it sets a foundation for the deterrence of hideous murders.

http://justice.uaa.alaska.edu/death/history.html