Cost:
The death penalty system’s additional costs compared to life without the possibility of release are beyond dispute. The trials, with so much at stake, are necessarily expensive and the appeals can take years because of the real concern of executing innocent people. For these reasons, our capital punishment system costs many millions more than a system of life without parole.
Innocence:
Attempts to “fix” the system to speed it up have repeatedly failed precisely because of the innocence issue; more than 140 death row nationally inmates have been released after evidence came to light that they were wrongfully convicted. Despite our best intentions, human beings can’t be right 100% of the time. And when life is on the line, one mistake is one too many.
Wasteful Government Program:
The time has come for conservatives here in North Carolina to ask ourselves if the death penalty really fits with our values. We all want a smaller, more efficient government that does not abuse its power, along with swift and sure justice. After all, isn’t this part of what conservatives stand for? Our system is none of the above.
Consistent Pro-life:
Along with the excessive costs to taxpayers, the risk of killing innocent people, and the impact on victims’ families, many conservatives can offer another compelling reason; our pro-life beliefs. We are increasingly re-thinking the death penalty because of its many problems, but also because of the Sanctity of Human Life from Conception to Natural Death.
Death by Incarceration is Serious Punishment:
There are two death penalties in America: one is death by execution, one is death by incarceration. By supporting death by incarceration and opposing the death penalty, conservatives are not supporting lenient punishments for first-degree murder. A life sentence is no cakewalk for offenders who must face the consequences of their crimes every day in the bleak reality of prison with no hope of release.