Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty

Cons

• Financial costs to taxpayers of capital punishment is several times more than keeping someone in prison for life.
• It is barbaric and violates the "cruel and unusual" clause in the Bill of Rights.
• The endless appeals and required additional procedures clog our court system.
• We as a society have to move away from the "eye for an eye" revenge mentality if civilization is to advance, as two wrongs don't make a right.
• It sends the wrong message: why kill people who kill people to show killing is wrong.
  

Pros

• The death penalty gives justice to the victim's families who have suffered so much.
• It creates another form of crime deterrent - others will be afraid to commit such crimes if they know that the result is death.
• Justice is better served.
• Our justice system shows more sympathy for criminals than it does victims.
• It provides a deterrent for prisoners already serving a life sentence.