The Death Penalty

By: Asa Dickerson
As a Libertarian, I have been greatly perturbed by some of the recent bills dealing with the death penalty that have been passed. The bills were only passed in their committees, but even at that level they still contradict my beliefs on the matter. The sponsors and authors in both cases argued that the death penalty is not only morally incorrect, but that it costs the government more than a sentence of life in prison. Yet this is not true. There is an occasional instance where a prisoner sentenced with the death penalty repeatedly appeals his sentence, and therefore costs the government more tax payer dollars. These cases, however, are extremely rare. On average it costs the government about $10,000 to issue capital punishment, while the government’s average cost per prisoner, per year, is approximately $30,000. You do the math. I rest my case.