Why do you think people are executed for a few murders, but people who've killed dozens are only given life?

The death penalty isn't reserved for the worst crimes, but for defendants with the worst lawyers. It doesn't apply to people with money. Practically everyone sentenced to death had to rely on an overworked public defender. How many people with money have been executed??

Life without parole is better, for many reasons. The death penalty doesn’t prevent or reduce crime, costs a whole lot more than life in prison, and, worst of all, risks executions of innocent people.

The worst thing about it. Errors:

The system can make tragic mistakes. In 2004, Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in Texas for starting the fire that killed his children. The Texas Forensic Science Commission has determined that the arson testimony that led to his conviction was based on flawed science. As of today, 138 wrongly convicted people who were sentenced to death have been exonerated. DNA is rarely available in homicides, often irrelevant (as in the Willingham case) and can’t guarantee we won’t execute innocent people. Capital juries are dominated by people who favor the death penalty and are more likely to vote to convict.

Keeping killers off the streets for good:

Life without parole, on the books in 49 states (all except Alaska), also prevents reoffending. It means what it says, and spending the rest of your life locked up, knowing you’ll never be free, is no picnic. Two big advantages:

-an innocent person serving life can be released from prison

-life without parole costs less than the death penalty

Costs, a surprise to many people:

Study after study has found that the death penalty is much more expensive than life in prison. The high costs of the death penalty are for the complicated legal process, with the largest costs at the pre-trial and trial stages. The point is to avoid executing innocent people. There are tremendous expenses in a death penalty case whether or not the defendant is convicted, let alone sentenced to death.

Crime reduction (deterrence):

The death penalty doesn't keep us safer. Homicide rates for states that use the death penalty are consistently higher than for those that don’t. The most recent FBI data confirms this. For people who lack a conscience, fear of being caught is the best deterrent.

Victims:

People assume that families of murder victims want the death penalty imposed. It just isn't so. Some are against it on moral grounds. But even families who have supported the death penalty in principle have testified to the damage that the death penalty process does to families like theirs and that life without parole is an appropriate alternative.

It comes down to whether we should keep a system for the sake of retribution or revenge even though it isn’t effective in reducing violent crime, costs much more than alternatives and, worst of all, can lead to the nightmare of executing someone for a crime he didn’t commit.

Because most serial killers are mentally ill, even if they are not legally "insane." Many people frown on killing the mentally ill. Unlike TV serial killers, they are not super smart. When caught they are often given life in exchange for not prolonging the trial and giving complete confessions of their crimes, which often involve many victims, allowing the police to clear up numerous unsolved crimes and families to finally know the truth.

The death penalty's primary use is to convince people facing a trial to cop a plea.

one million. Murder is against the law, and it continuously will likely be. two. Killing isn't always against the law, and is generally fundamental for self-renovation or the safety of others incapable of protecting themselves. three. Assassination is the planned homicide of a man or woman of significance - quite often a political determine. four. Executing is the killing of anyone - quite often as a punishment for a bad crime, however it's generally performed for political explanations, so it's regarding assassination. The ONLY one of the crucial above that's ever quite justifiable is killing within the safety of your self or others in a lifestyles-threatening difficulty. Even regardless that an individual could deserve the dying penalty, the likelihood of creating an blunders is a ways too quality to head via with it. Besides, I consider lifestyles at the back of bars could be worse than the dying penalty.

Humans are a curious lot. Sociologists like to study the criminally insane, especially those that have committed extremely heinous crimes like serial murder.

Life in prison allows for a longer period of study.

The death penalty only allows escape for the criminal.

It depends on the situation, how they were killed etc.

I dont understand why some people get death while others who seemed to have done alot worse get 'life'

Life meaning 12 years now days..

Even worse, killers get 12 years for 2nd degree murder but if the victim had lived they would have gotten 30 years for attempted murder.

As to "why," it is said that in the US "You get all the justice you can pay for." People who get heavy sentences tend to be poor. Really -- OJ would never have gotten off if he had a Public Defender instead of Johnny Cochran.

Execution is not a punishment . it gives the murderer freedom.

Life in Prison . is a place to suffer.