Ariana Isakson

Annotated Outline

I. Introduction

The death penalty has been around for centuries and has been a big controversial topic for

the last few decades. The death penalty has been widely criticized for being barbaric and

out right wrong. However, with all the negativity the death penalty is still supported by a

variety of reasons because many individuals believe that the positive outcomes out

weight the negative.

II. History of the Death Penalty

a. Throughout history there has numerous amounts of societies and civilizations that

have used the death penalty as punishment for crimes that they view as extreme.

b. Different societies have used different tactics such as stoning, burning at the

stake, hanging, and electrocution

c. Many court cases were argued in front of the Supreme Court and helped outlaw

certain types of executions.

III. Price of death penalty

a. The price of having an inmate have life without parole is about $47,500 a year per

inmate.

b. For example, if an individual was arrested at the age of 25 and was sentenced to

life without parole he would cost 47,500 a year for tax payers. If the individual

died at the age of 70 they would have costed tax payers over 2 million dollars.

This would be for only one individual

c. The death penalty costs on average $90,000 a year, but it does not accumulate

more every year for one inmate because the one inmate would be dead
 Ariana Isakson

d. The death penalty cost also varies state to state

IV. Reasons for the death penalty

a. The death penalty is used in a variety of cases but it is used most often in murder

cases

b. The death penalty is used in most all murder cases, but it is also used in other

cases as well

c. Louisiana uses the death penalty for people who have committed treason,

Montana uses it for rape and also for aggravated assault, and New Hampshire also

uses the death penalty for criminals who have killed a police officer

V. Closing

a. The death penalty is a very controversial topic and has been for decades. The

death penalty is mainly used in homicidal cases, but is also used in other very

extreme crimes such as assault, rape, and treason. The death penalty, although

widely controversial, is all in all a good thing for the United States because it

helps deter future criminals, and gets rid of others that have committed those

heinous acts.
 Ariana Isakson

Works Cited

“Crimes Punishable by the Death Penalty.” Crimes Punishable by the Death Penalty |

Death Penalty Information Center, 2017, deathpenaltyinfo.org/crimes-punishable-

death-penalty

“History of the Death Penalty.” History of the Death Penalty | Death Penalty Information

Center, 2017, deathpenaltyinfo.org/history-death-penalty

Liu, Joseph. “An Impassioned Debate: An Overview of the Death Penalty in America.”

Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project, 18 Dec. 2007,

www.pewforum.org/2007/12/19/an-impassioned-debate-an-overview-of-the-

death-penalty-in-america/.

The Cost of Life Without Parole By Glenn Barr, Reporter Mountain News | 11

comments. “The Cost of Life Without Parole.” Mountain News, 24 Mar. 2011,

www.mountain-news.com/news/crime_log/article_4f1e45f8-5630-11e0-93da-

001cc4c002e0.html.
 Ariana Isakson

Works Cited

Crime Log. (n.d.). Retrieved December 19, 2017, from http://www.mountain-

news.com/news/crime_log/article_4f1e45f8-5630-11e0-93da-001cc4c002e0.html.

Death Penalty Information Center. (2017). Crimes Punishable by the Death Penalty.

Retrieved December 19, 2017, from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/crimes-

punishable-death-penalty

Death Penalty Information Center. (2017). History of the Death Penalty. Retrieved

December 19, 2017, from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/history-death-penalty

Liu, J. (2007, December 18). An Impassioned Debate: An Overview of the Death Penalty

in America. Retrieved December 19, 2017, from

http://www.pewforum.org/2007/12/19/an-impassioned-debate-an-overview-of-

the-death-penalty-in-america/.