Why Do We Have The Death Penalty?

Is killing people human? Is taking the life of another an acceptable thing in society? That’s how people go to the chair and sit there to rot correct? Then why do we still have the death penalty in the United States? For years the country has been in a heated debate on whether the death penalty is really a valid form of punishment. Problem with the death penalty being an option of punishment is in fact, that most people sent to death sit there for years on end. Moreover, the argument of financial is coming into question. The action of actually executing an inmate is costly. Finally, there is the debate on the innocent being killed but also the thoughts that other countries have on our methods of punishment. The death penalty can be traced to the beginnings of when the United States was first created. Over the years many forms of execution have been deemed immoral and taken away. From firing squad to lethal injection, the evolution of execution methods has been driven by the “desire to bring about the most efficient and humane way of carrying out executions.” (“Methods of Execution”, 2008). This in return has led to new inventions and creations to kill felons. According to How …show more content…
Before 2005 any juvenile under the age of 18 could be sent to death row but according to “Facts about the Death Penalty” in 2005 the possibility of the death penalty for juveniles was struck down with Roper v. Simmons. Another recent debate on the death penalty has been cost effectiveness. On average holding an inmate in prison cost significantly less than that of using lethal injection to kill them. But if we give the inmates life without parole we face the issue of aging in prison. This is becoming an increasing problem with the years. Those aging in prison from the 80’s are not having multiple surgeries to correct injuries sustained in prison, or those associated with aging