The first advantage is the deterrence of future criminals. Since the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was a legitimate punishment in 1976, crime rate in states, such as California and Texas that uphold the death penalty have decreased. According to the U.S. Justice Department, the violent crime rate in Texas has dropped over thirty percent. In addition to the decrease in crime rates, the number of death sentences being carried out has increased, instilling the fear in would-be criminals of being severely punished for

their actions. On the other end of the spectrum, the U.S. Justice Department has shown that states such as Alaska and West Virginia that do not have the death penalty have had an increase in crime rates of around thirty percent. This supports the idea that the fear of being punished is not there for those criminals. Unfortunately, the death penalty is currently used so rarely that it isn't nearly as effective as it could be.

The next advantage is the cost to maintain these criminals in state or federal prisons. The price to keep a person on death row is paid by the taxpayers, which includes the victim's families. The average time on death row reported by the U.S. Department of Justice is 8 years costing approximately $60,000 per year for a total of $1.88 million. Carrying out the execution, provides more space for prisoners that are convicted of less violent crimes. Of course, the cost to maintain a "Lifer" appears much less in the short-term, but it is more expensive in the long-term. The U.S. Department of Justice reports show that the cost to house the life w

Some common words found in the essay are:
Department Justice, Live Die, West Virginia, Justice Department, Supreme Court, death penalty, California Texas, life parole, victim's families, cost maintain, department justice, thirty percent, crime rate, justice department, criminals streets, crime rates,
Approximate Word count = 726
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)