A dingy, unshaven old man is strapped to a gouney. Two long tubes extend from veins in his arms to a hole in the cement wall behind him. A man behind the cement wall pumps a saline solution through the tube, followed by sodium thiopental, pancuronium bromide, and finally potassium chloride. An audience watches as the liquids are pumped through the tube, witnessing the man strapped to the gurney take his last breath. A cold-blooded killer dies (“Descriptions of Execution Methods”).
Though lethal injection is a more humane method of execution than previous methods such as hanging or the electric chair, it is hotly debated whether or not capital punishment is a justified practice. In most cases, the cons are quick to outweigh the pros.
For those in favor of the death penalty, the argument usually consists of statements like “It is a possible way to deter future convicts” or “It puts the family of the victim at ease.” Dr. Jim L. Riley argues, “Moral justification of the death penalty can be justified by one simple principle: punishment should be roughly apportioned in severity to the nature of the crime.” An eye for an eye, so to speak. However, some are not so quick to agree (Riley).
An article from News Times refutes Riley’s argument stating, “There is …show more content…
However, this is far from true. In the state of Indiana alone, the cost of the death penalty is over ten times more expensive than a life sentence without parole. The cost of one case of capital punishment averages around $449,887. A life sentence case only averages $42,658. With 13 people currently on death row in Indiana, an average of $5,848,531 is being spent on those inmates. A government program in which a life sentence is the highest form of punishment would save millions (“The High Cost of the Death Penalty”; “Costs of the Death Penalty”; “Death
Though lethal injection is a more humane method of execution than previous methods such as hanging or the electric chair, it is hotly debated whether or not capital punishment is a justified practice. In most cases, the cons are quick to outweigh the pros.
For those in favor of the death penalty, the argument usually consists of statements like “It is a possible way to deter future convicts” or “It puts the family of the victim at ease.” Dr. Jim L. Riley argues, “Moral justification of the death penalty can be justified by one simple principle: punishment should be roughly apportioned in severity to the nature of the crime.” An eye for an eye, so to speak. However, some are not so quick to agree (Riley).
An article from News Times refutes Riley’s argument stating, “There is …show more content…
However, this is far from true. In the state of Indiana alone, the cost of the death penalty is over ten times more expensive than a life sentence without parole. The cost of one case of capital punishment averages around $449,887. A life sentence case only averages $42,658. With 13 people currently on death row in Indiana, an average of $5,848,531 is being spent on those inmates. A government program in which a life sentence is the highest form of punishment would save millions (“The High Cost of the Death Penalty”; “Costs of the Death Penalty”; “Death