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Keaton Smoot
Professor Whitney Nelson
English 2010 online
21 Feb 2015
Report: What is to be done about the death penalty?
Crime is everywhere around us. Many of us have witnessed others commit such acts that
are considered crime, and some of us have committed crimes ourselves, whether big or small.
The United States Department of Justice is set up to ensure that the proper steps are taken in the
event of criminal actions of citizens. The mission statement of the department states, To
enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure
public safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing
and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and to
ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. (Our Mission Statement,
US Department of Justice) Similarly, it reads in our nations pledge of allegiance, With
Liberty and Justice for All. It may seem that some forms of Justice are unequal from the
perspective of many. My social justice issue is an example of that. The death penalty is
currently legal in 32 of the 50 states in our nation. (DPIC) That itself shows the inconsistency
that the form of punishment carries. This is just one of the multiple examples that illustrates this
claim. This reason is a major arguing point when this issue is discussed. As with anything,
people tend to not react well to anything that shows inconsistency.
The death penalty raises an obvious but important question. Should the death penalty be
a legal form of punishment in the United States? It is clear that many citizens believe that there

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are better options that could take the place of the death penalty which would still satisfy justice
for the convicted criminal, be more financially wise, and possibly save the life of someone that
could be wrongly convicted. Many other people claim that carrying out the death penalty is a
sufficient, humane, and acceptable way of serving justice. One thing is abundantly clear
regardless of ones opinion on the matter. The death penalty is growing more important as our
society is facing an increase in crime at an alarming rate. Many factors are making it more
difficult to handle.
Many people in our society today believe that an eye for an eye is the correct mindset
in dealing with those that are convicted of a crime such as murder that could potentially carry the
death penalty. It is very easy for some to justify their reasoning in claiming that those that
murder should automatically be put to death. Our legal system is very complicated. It is
common knowledge to everyone that it could take months or even many years for the legal
system to take its course in the United States. For serious criminal charges such as felonies, it is
almost guaranteed that it will take an extended amount of time until the sentence is given. In
October 2014, Gallup (a widely credited polling firm) conducted polls regarding the death
penalty. Those polled were asked as to why they supported the death penalty, or why they did
not support the death penalty. Both of those questions were open ended. The most popular
reason for those that did support the death penalty was Eye for an Eye, or in other words, the
punishment fit the crime for those that committed murder. That response garnered 35 % of all
responses. On the other side of the coin, the most popular reason given by those that opposed the
death penalty was that it was wrong to take a life, which brought in 40 % of all responses.
(Gallup) Whether it is life in prison without the possibility of parole, or it is the death penalty,
the convicted criminal will still be suffering the consequence of their actions to the fullest extent.

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Many may be curious as to what the actual financial costs are of the death penalty process
in comparison to keeping an inmate in prison for the rest of his/her life is. Multiple studies have
shown that the entire process of the death penalty is much more expensive to carry out than it
would be to keep an inmate in prison for the rest of his/her life, because the Constitution requires
a long and complex judicial process for capital cases. According to a 2008 study by the state's
Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice, in California, home to the nation's biggest
death row population at 667, it costs an extra $90,000 per inmate to imprison someone sentenced
to death an additional expense that totals more than $63.3 million annually. (Associated Press,
Bargmann) Our tax dollars are at work, and this makes an impact of the financial budget of the
state and national governments. Even if tens of millions of dollars seems small to the
government, there is a lot that can be done with that money in other ways.
The issue also includes one very large what if in the process of the death penalty.
Some might consider, What if the person that is sentenced to death is actually innocent of the
crime and wrongly convicted? As of the end of 2014, there have been 150 exonerations in 26
different states since 1973. This means that 150 death row inmates provided enough evidence to
prove their innocence while on death row, and therefore released. (DPIC) Our legal system is
organized to bring the appropriate justice, but that does not mean that the system is perfect. In
high profile murder cases, it is often difficult to run the process. There is often many twists and
turns that an investigation can take, and in some cases, the suspect may indeed be innocent. Who
is to know exactly how many people may have been executed that were innocent? Who is to
know exactly how many people have committed a crime and were not convicted?
Doubts and questions will always be present in our society on this social justice issue. It
is very difficult in some cases for everyone to feel that justice has been served. The legal system

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does the very best that they can to ensure that everyone is treated equal according to our
Constitution. As the reasons are presented in this report, one can conclude that there is a lot of
work to be done with this issue. Many people, including lawmakers do not see eye to eye with
all the details of this matter. Despite the fact that there is a lot to debate, it would be ideal if there
was constant and consistent communication between the government and the citizens. This issue
is not something that can be solved overnight, but what is in place currently can certainly be
reviewed and discussed in an attempt to improve the situation of everyone involved in the issue.
The statistics speak loudly in presenting negative effects of the death penalty. On the contrary,
many would claim a different opinion and present the benefits of the death penalty. My hope is
that justice is served in the proper way, and that governments become more aware of the social
justice issues that we face in our nation, particularly the death penalty. As a result, we become
stronger as a society, and more aware of the many issues that we face every day.

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Works Cited
Bargmann, J. "The Cost of Capital Punishment." Parade Magazine 29 Jan. 2010. Print.
Press, Associated. "To Execute or Not: A Question of Cost?" NBC News. The Associated Press, 1
Jan. 2009. Web. 21 Feb. 2015. <http://www.nbcnews.com/id/29552692/ns/us_newscrime_and_courts/t/execute-or-not-question-cost/#.VOqsBfnF_uJ>.
"Facts about the Death Penalty." DPIC. Death Penalty Information Center, 11 Feb. 2015. Web.
21 Feb. 2015. <http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/documents/FactSheet.pdf>.
"Death Penalty." Gallup Poll. Gallup, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 21 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.gallup.com/poll/1606/death-penalty.aspx>.
"Our Mission Statement." The United States Department of Justice. US Department of Justice.
Web. 21 Feb. 2015. <http://www.justice.gov/about>.