$$$ Show Me the Money

                I have heard this by far the most out of any argument in support of the death penalty. It is that people say they do not want to financially support someone in prison for the rest of their life; oftentimes they do not want their taxes to support the life of a convicted murderer. To this I reply that it is more expensive to execute someone than it is to keep them in prison for the rest of their life. Many are appalled by this finding and wonder how this could be true… It’s simple, appeals.

                Appeals are safeguards put in place by the government to help insure that innocent people do not get incarcerated (in this case executed). Although these have been put in place, it does not often ensure that innocent people do not die (as I have mentioned previously). These are constitutionally protected and are rights that prisoners have when facing death. However, that can take many years and millions of dollar to properly exhaust all options. The costs rack up quickly in appeals; due to court fees, attorney fees, housing of prisoners, and all other parties involved must be paid.

                It is much more cost effective to keep someone imprisoned for the rest of their life. Studies suggest it is much cheaper to keep a person in prison alive for the duration of their life accounting for housing and food in prison, as well as medical care that a person may need. In a study in Utah, it found that it costs an extra 1.6 million to execute rather than give life without parole (deathpenaltyinfo.org). This is an astounding finding and proves that one’s argument cannot solely rely on cost factors because what many believe may be wrong. As evident in the previously mentioned study it is substantially higher to murder a convict than to keep them alive for the rest of their life. It is a controversial debate as to whether the funds used in executions are worth it. For the time being it seems as though the public favors more tax money to support execution than a prisoner’s life. I believe that this is clear and compelling evidence that should somewhat make us reconsider what we are spending funds for. The death penalty does not HAVE to exist if people lose support and it definitely takes more money out of the system than many people believe.  Is it worth it?