Policy Maker:1

of a convicted murderer. Depending on where the criminal was convicted, the consequences they face can change their life forever. In some states such as Texas they have an “eye for an eye” policy which means if you kill somebody your life will be taken as well. However they enforce this by the almighty and highly debated issue, the death penalty. But in other states such as Minnesota you would be sentenced to serve a maximum life sentence. Considering these consequences outcomes differ so greatly and impact one’s life so differently, if one is convicted of murder I feel whether a convicted murderer lives or dies should be decided by the states.

Amendment 10 clearly states that “powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution nor prohibited by it to the states are reserved to the states respectively or to the people”. In essence the Constitution states that this decision is up to the states because it doesn’t grant the federal government permission to decide for the country as a whole whether to implement capital punishment. Capital punishment affects every state in different ways and it would be not only unconstitutional, but impractical to decide for the country as a whole because morality is not the only issue in deciding whether to have a death penalty or alternatives to it. For example, the cost of the death sentence can affect a state’s budget, depending on the murder rate convictions, which in turn can affect the amount tax dollars paid by the people of the state.

The cost of capital punishment is another huge issue at hand. It can affect the governments’ budget and also raise taxes for tax payers as well. This is where the citizens come to debate about this heart striking issue. In New Jersey, “state's death penalty has cost taxpayers $253 million since 1983”, which is a figure way to high considering the policy has failed to be enacted on an offender. In other states, citizens feel they have been overpaying for capital punishment cases. In capital trials, taxpayers pay half as much as murder cases in which prosecutors seek prison terms rather than the death penalty according to a study in Tennessee. People would rather put them in correctional facilities and have them sentenced to life, if it will save them money and also benefit the state.