Quote:1. It costs the public a lot of money to keep someone is prison for life.
2. The is already an overcrowding problem in U.S. prisons and the death penalty might help cut down on that.
3. The idea of the death penalty might convince someone not to commit the homicide they are planning.
The state of New Mexico recently abolished the DP because of the cost.
New Jersey also abolished it because of the likelihood of mistakes... and because of the cost.
Second, a far easier manner of reducing overcrowding is to stop filling the prisons with non-violent offenders. When California had to relieve overcrowding they ordered the release of minor offenders not the wholesale slaughter of violent criminals.
Here's a chart showing the states listed by "murder rates" ( scroll down ). Only one of the top 20 ( Michigan ) does not have the DP. Clearly there is no "deterrent effect."
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/murder-r...-and-state
You will be demolished by facts if you go with your 3 points. Best stick to fuzzier things like the simple desire for revenge. It isn't very noble but at least you can argue it.
