Some people advocate the death penalty for those who committed violent crimes. Others say that capital punishment is unacceptable in contemporary society. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the death penalty and give your opinion.

There are those who support the

death

penalty

as pertinent for criminals who commit violent crimes, while others believe it to be intolerable in modern-day society. In my opinion,

although

the

death

penalty

is perhaps the ultimate deterrent to recurring crime, there are more drawbacks than benefits. The main advantage of keeping the

death

penalty

is that it deters violent crime. It is justified as

life

for a

life

, and fair punishment for heinous crimes like

first

-degree murder, genocide or the abuse of minors. For victims’ families, it provides restitution since murderers on

death

row cannot recommit violent crimes. For the state, it provides an attractive alternative to

life

in prison due to the costs that can be saved.

For example

, America has one of the highest prison populations in the world and those locked away for

life

cost the most to maintain in jail.

However

, I believe that the drawbacks of capital punishment outweigh the benefits. For one thing, the absolute nature of capital punishment means there is no going back if innocent people are condemned. Once someone is gone, they are gone and there is no reprieve if a person is wrongly convicted.

Furthermore

, there is little if any research to show that the

death

penalty

reduces crime. Research shows that states in America without the

death

penalty

have lower murder rates than the states that have it.

Finally

, of felons who are sentenced to

death

, few actually receive it.

Death

penalties can take decades to enact in some cases, costing the taxpayer as much as placing the concerned individual in prison for

life

. To reiterate, the

death

penalty

seems an impractical and expensive option for modern society with likely better options available to manage crim