on capital punishment. The fact that trials and appeals are so costly can not be denied. None the less, imprisonment for life can be extremely costly as well. It costs around $20,000 per year to house someone in prison. Based on the average age of thirty-four at time of imprisonment and the average life expectancy of sixty years puts the cost at $520,000(Benedict, 2002). Does justice have a price tag? Simply being more cost effective in no way makes imprisonment more just. If someone takes a life they should not expect a bed and three squares a day, they should expect to die regardless of the cost. I would rather see my tax dollars go toward true justice as opposed to saving money to keep a murderer fed. The extra cost of execution can be excused in order to bring closure to the victims family. When considering the deterrent effects of the death penalty also, it is worth every dime. Another possibility is cutting down the number of appeals. However, this would pose some problems concerning true guilt or innocence. All we can hope for is science and crime investigation to improve to the point that there is little or no doubt. Part of what makes capital punishment such a debated issue is its moral implications. One argument against capital punishments morality is that it is unlawful and unconstitutional. If this were in fact true, it would be an extremely valid argument. However, the Supreme Court decided in the case of Furman v. Georgia that capital punishment is unconstitutional only when discrimination becomes involved. It was decided that the death penalty itself was not in violation of our eighth amendment rights of no cruel and unusual punishment (Cox and Wade,1998:224). Capital punishment is fully constitutional when used in a non-discriminatory manner. Then, there is the question of morality regarding the execution of a person through capital punishment. Would executing someone be less moral than locking them up for life? If th...
