Today, there are thirty five states for the death penalty, and fifteen states against it including Massachusetts. There are different methods for the death penalty such as lethal injection, electrocution and gas chamber. Also the type of crime that can lead to the death penalty is different from a state to another. For example, aggravated kidnapping in Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky and South Carolina leads to execution, in California, train wrecking and perjury lead to death. Arguments for and against capital punishment have not stopped yet, and in most cases, these arguments are based on moral, practical or religious grounds. People against capital punishment argue that the huge budget that it costs for taxpayers is harmful, also how is hypocritical of the government of a civilized country punishing killers by killing themselves. People for the death penalty, don't deny the cost, but for them it's a way to protect the community and keep it safer.
The cost of capital punishment is hundreds of dollars every year. First, the process is very expensive, while at the same time many police officers are losing their jobs because of the budget cuts. In addition, more schools are closing. Therefore, taxpayers are complaining that taxes are not being used to take care of their communities, but spent on individual punishment or those who hurt the community. The average death case resulting in death penalty costs about three million dollars in Maryland (Urban Institute 2008). People who are against the death penalty argue that this amount of money could be spent to build more green spaces for children to play, or hiring more police officers to keep the community safer from inside not just from outside the community by capital punishment. The facts have shown that there are some big cities, such as New York and Washington, who have reduced the high crime numbers by using simple methods such as technology, by putting cameras in the high-crime areas, and by hiring more police officers to be around neighborhoods so people feel safer, and criminals feel threatened that they will get caught quickly when they break the law.
