The Death Penalty 

 
The Death Penalty 

Faith Jaffa 

CJ 1010 

Julia Ellis 

November 11, 2020 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Death Penalty 

Abstract 

The death penalty is a very contriversal topic. In this research document I viewed 

both sides of the topic and looked more into facts about the penalty. As you read, I 

will be answering common questions. For example, I will be going over “Does Race 

or Gender Play a Role in Supporting The Death Penalty?”, “Is it Cheaper to House 

Inmates or Apply The Death Penalty?”, “Why are People Against the Death 

Penalty?”, and “Why are People for The Death Penalty?”. There are a lot of things 

that go into the death penalty and I felt like these questions did the best job 

answering them. Throughout this document you’re going to learn new things that 

can possible change your opinion on how you feel about the death penalty.  

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

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Introduction 
The death penalty is one of the most contriversal topics talked about in Criminal 

Justice. Everyone has their own opinions and views on the topic for their own 

reasons. I think it’s important to be informed and understand both sides before 

choosing a side. There's a lot of things that go into the decision and many reasons 

as to why the death penalty may be applied. One of the main factors that makes 

people decide is whether they believe it’s cheaper to apply the penalty or pay for 

the inmates basic needs to allow them to live the rest of their life in prison. People 

who have known someone who has been sentenced to the death penalty have 

different opinions on it. Some feel safe and find comfort while others can’t feel 

 
closure because of it. The death penalty is applied for different reasons and today 

i’ll be going over that.

 
 
 

 
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Does Race or Gender Play a Role in Supporting The Death Penalty? 

Men are more likely than women to support the death penalty. “Men expressed 

greater support for reasons of retribution, deterrence, and incapacitation, whereas 

women were more likely to oppose capital punishment for the reasons of 

rehabilitation, innocence, and morality.” (Lambert, Eric). The support for the death 

penalty falls under many factors. For example, race, gender, age, and education. But 

it appears that “Gender has been found to be one of the most consistent predictors 

of capital punishment support.” (Cochran & Sanders, 2009). 

Is it Cheaper to House Inmates or Apply The Death Penalty? 

The death penalty is very expensive, but housing inmates can add up over time. You 

have to pay for all the inmates basic necessities every year. “People say it is cheaper 

to house offenders for life than it is to execute them, but no one runs the numbers 

on health care expenses for aging prisoners, which can potentially be millions of 

dollars a year for one inmate.” (Ray, Paul). “The cost is 30% greater to house a death 

row inmate. We should be investing in training and treatment within our criminal 

justice system instead.” (Olsen, Jared). We should be spending our money on things 

to help improve the system and improve people's lives rather than using it all on 

things that don’t help change. Theres no direct answer if the death penalty is more 

expancive than housing an inmate. I think that’s a big factor as to why the topic 

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remains so diverse. If it was less expensive, I think people would lean more towards 

agreeing with the death penalty. But of course, many people believe that one 

mistake shouldn’t ruin someone's life and they believe in second chances. 

Why are People Against the Death Penalty? 

Rhonda Field is against the death penalty based off personal experiance with her 

son. “There’s never any closure. There is nothing that is ever going to bring my son 

back. You lose someone and you can’t be made whole. I grieve every single day 

because of the loss of my son.” (Field, Rhonda). For some people like Rhonda, they 

would rather have someone remain in prison then have to die. She would’ve been 

able to find closure if she could talk to him or see him every once in a while. Instead 

she’s left alone. Renny Cushing had a different experience. “As a victim survivor, I 

hate the word closure. You close on a mortgage not a homicide. No sanction will lift 

the burden for victims. We will be grieving forever. The execution solution or 

putting people in prison won’t end the grief.” (Cushing, Renny). Based on what 

different people are saying about the death penalty who have had personal 

experiances, they don’t feel as though it helps a lot of people. It doesn’t give closure 

or change the past. It can leave families and people feeling empty.  

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Why are People for The Death Penalty? 

Like I mentioned earlier, there are so many factors that go into the death penalty. 

Many people feel that if someone took one person or multiple people's lives, then 

that person should die. Many people also believe that the death penalty is cheaper 

and theres no point in paying for someone who’s going to spend the rest of their 

life in jail. The death penalty can bring people a sense or relief. If someone has a 

family member who was once a victim, that family member doesn’t need to live in 

fear anymore. Some people don’t ever change. If the suspect gets out because 

people think they’ve changed, it can backfire. That suspect may have a need in the 

back of their head to commit another crime. This is a reason why the death penalty 

could potentially save other people from becoming victims. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Conclusion 
Based on my research, more people are against the death penalty rather than for it. 

Just because someone dies, doesn’t mean everyone feels safe and gets the closure 

they need. It can leave people feeling empty and sad. But on the other hand it can 

allow people to feel more safe and less worried. It can also, in the long run, save 

other people from becoming victims. It’s a hard topic because it really is a big deal 

to take away someone's life that’s not yours. It’s a big choice to make and can 

sometimes lead to a lot of backlash. In some cases people are later found innocent 

and that’s such a hard thing to hear. About 4% of people on death row are later 

found innocent. Everyone involved in those cases can feel the pain and regret of 

killing an innocent man. That’s a decision you can’t take back or change. So many 

families are impacted in general with the death penalty whether good or bad. It is a 

touchy subject and a very hard decision to make. I hope this gave you a better 

understanding of the seriousness of the topic and why people feel a certain way 

towards it. 

 
 
 
 
 
 

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References 

Widgery, A. (2020). Debating the Death Penalty: Capital punishment divides 

legislators, but not along party lines. 

Lambert, E. G., Baker, D. N., Elechi, O. O., Jiang, S., Khondaker, M. I., Pasupuleti, S., & 

Hogan, N. L. (2018). Gender and Cultural Differences on Death Penalty 

Support and Views among Indian and U.S. College Students. ​Journal of 

Ethnicity in Criminal Justice,​ ​16​(4), 254–271.  

Bones, P. D. C., & Sabriseilabi, S. (2018). Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God: An 

Exploration of Religious Forces on Support for the Death Penalty. ​Journal for 

the Scientific Study of Religion​, 5

​ 7​(4), 707–722.  

 
 
 
 
 
 

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Reflection 
 

I assumed it was cheaper to apply the death penalty rather than having someone 

spend the rest of there life in prison. As I did my research I learned that it really just 

depends and there's no official answer. For the most part people spend a couple 

million dollars on someone by the time they die. In those cases it’s cheaper for the 

death penalty but that’s not always the case.  

I would love to investigate and get more information on the topic because there's 

so much I want to learn and find out. It’s really interesting to me to learn about how 

people feel and why they feel that way.  

I think my conclusion makes sense because it talks about both sides and 

summarizes everything I went over. 

My research and assumptions support my conclusion because I used my research 

to write my conclusion and I shared how my assumptions changed based on the 

information I heard. 

I tried to pick questions that would hit many different points and answer most 

people's assumptions/questions on the topic. I feel like I can have more questions 

and talk more about each one but it’s hard based on the information I’m able to find. 

A lot of them talk about the same things. 

I think conclusions can go many different ways. I kept mine more professional 

rather than personal. I think I should be more personal and share my feelings and 

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how they’ve changed. I should expand more on that rather than going through the 

information again. 

This assignment has changed my perspective. It’s made me realize that the death 

penalty doesn’t always help everyone and can cause a lot of pain no matter the 

crime. I have a better understanding of not only the facts on the penalty, but how 

victims feel about it.