Basic considerations for capital punishment. First: Assume a stricter burden of proof than is now the case. That is, require, for execution, not only "beyond doubt" but "proof positive" That is, the criminal is on videotape shooting someone. Or a confession has been extracted in which there is all kinds of information only the murder could have known. Etc For simple conviction retain the same system as we now have. This isn't much different in concept than another distinction we make between criminal and civil cases, each with different standards of proof. Yes, there are such things as wrongful convictions, hence the necessity for utter certainty as a condition of execution. This said, the question remains, "why put a murderer to death?" . There are moral reasons to do so. Namely, he (or she) deserves it. A man has butchered his girlfriend or a woman has killed her kids, etc. But let us set that aside and offer a pragmatic reason that simultaneously is a moral reason. . What does it cost to incarcerate a convicted murderer? This usually means a man in this 20s, possibly 30s, or a woman of similar age. This is the age group most likely to commit murder, far more than other age groups. Add it up. Depending on the state the cost to keep a murderer alive in prison is $30,000 to as much as $50,000 each year. That is more money per murderer than a lot of hard working Americans earn. So, the real question is: What justifies spending public money to keep a murderer alive at rates in excess of take home pay for many or most law-abiding citizens? One answer is: Change the system. Make it necessary by law to NOT spend more then some minimum amount, say $ 10,000, to incarcerate a murderer or other heinous felon. In other words, turn a US island in the Pacific into a detention camp, drop off food every so often, have enough guards to maintain order, supply inmates with basic shelter, and forget about them. . Now how do you justify spending the amount it would take to keep a murderer alive for 4 or 5 decades? Depending on this or that, we are discussing anywhere from half a million $$ to several million $$. Multiply this by the number of murderers and we are talking about billions of dollars. Let's use a number like $5 billion just for talking purposes, but it may "only" be $3 billion or could be past $10 billion. What is the best way to spend that money? No problem to think of all kinds of good uses- Health care for kids Education programs for inner cities Medical research to find a cure for a dread disease Scholarships for the needy to attend college You can doubtless think of still other worthy uses for $5 billion. OK, your choice: Spend $5 billion for, say, health care for kids OR spend $5 billion to pay for incarceration for murderers Whatever your choice, my choice would be health care or education or etc. What is your choice and how do you justify that choice? Billy
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