People should not let their emotions get involved in the process of criminal justice. Who is to decide where to draw the line on those deserving to die and those deserving to live? Capital punishment is an ineffective and immoral way to deal with violent crime. Death penalty costs exceed those of life imprisonment, and there is no room for error in a system that takes the suspect’s life.

Serious flaws exist in the death penalty process. Since 1973, 122 people have been exonerated from death row with evidence of their innocence. According to research by University of Florida Sociology Chair and expert criminologist Michael Radelet, from 1900 to 1985 at least 23 innocent people have been executed. “The main determinant of who is on death row is the quality of the attorney representing the defendant,” Radelet said, and over 95 percent of defendants cannot afford private legal representation. Further, Radelet found that 84 percent of criminologists do not believe that the death penalty acts as a crime deterrent.

It is unethical for the government to execute convicts and deny them their most basic right to life. Given, convicted felons took this away from others through their murder. However, vengeance and retribution are not purposes of the criminal justice system.

Executing criminals for their acts can also be viewed as a violation of the Eighth Amendment, prohibiting the use of cruel and unusual punishment. Top execution methods include lethal injection and electrocution, and often death is not immediate. In the case of Stanley Williams, officials searched for 20 minutes to fi nd the proper vein for administering lethal chemicals.

Due to excessive court appeal costs, capital cases are more expensive than imprisonment without parole. For example, California taxpayers pay $115 million more to kill a prisoner than to keep him alive, and in Kansas capital cases are 70 percent more expensive than their non-capital counterparts.

From an economic standpoint, life in prison is the better choice. And from a moral standpoint, the arguments against capital punishment prove much stronger.