Indiana’s last death penalty execution took place on Dec. 11, 2009 when the state executed a man for a triple homicide. However, even with the death penalty being abolished since 2009, there are still nine men on death row. These people should either get the death penalty or be forced into life in prison without parole.

There are pros and cons to both sides of the argument about capital punishment and whether it should be reinstated or not. Not only must people look at the economic side, but they must also weigh in the moral side of the scale and decide if it is right or wrong. I think that if someone is willing to take another person’s life, affecting not only that person but all of their family members, people around them and close friends, the murderer shouldn’t have a choice over his or her life anymore either. I personally think that there is justice for crimes and personally I think that the death penalty is the only option that truly grants justice to the murdered and the victims family

One point many people can argue with is whether or not people should be imprisoned for life instead of the death penalty, because it costs significantly less to keep someone incarcerated for life than to put them to death. According to Amnesty International, the average cost of the death penalty is around $1.26 million whereas life imprisonment costs $740,000 on average. However, cost should not get in the way of the right thing to do. I believe that if a person has taken another life the thought of cost should not get in the way of the overall picture of what is right and what is wrong.

There are many ways of execution that have been tested in the past, ranging from electrocution to lethal injection. I think that the most effective and cost-efficient way of this would be a fusillade, or a firing squad. This method is not only the most practical, but it also doesn’t cost as much money as lethal injection. It’s also the best method because not only do all of the men fire their rifles at the same time, but most of the guns have blanks in them to avoid people knowing who truly killed the criminal. 

When an execution is done by firing squad many people debate over the psychological dynamic that the executioners will have later, however more than likely those people have chosen that line of work and are either fine with it morally or are doing it for the money. Another factor is that when a firing squad is used many of the guns have blanks in their rifles as to not know which of the men actually killed the assailant.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, over 36% of violent crime felons had an active criminal history, meaning they were not first-time offenders. I believe that the best way to deal with a very violent problem is to stop the problem before it becomes even worse. If we had capital punishment, it would be impossible for murderers and other violent criminals to ever walk free again and possibly commit crimes again and personally. I think the justice the penalty serves is a greater effect than any life sentence could have.