[nik-]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

How about I spin it another way. Suppose I give you an extra cost for the death penalty over life in prison. Studies have shown that the death penalty deters murders by up to 5-75 murders a year. So what is better in your eyes? Saving some money or preventing 5-75 murders?

Studies? Which studies?

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/22/us...ted=all&src=pm

http://tech.mit.edu/V130/N53/normandin.html

These statistics can be broken down even further. In 2009, the average murder rate for states with a death penalty was 4.9 per 100,000 people, while the average murder rate for states without a death penalty was only 2.8.

Costs.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphi...death-penalty/

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/03/27...state-budgets/