In biblical times, people abided by God's law, known as The Ten Commandments. Today' society is based on certain rules and laws that everyone must follow to keep our society running smoothly. Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is a punishment enforced on those who have committed serious crimes, for example murder. The death penalty is one of the most debated issues in today's society. Supporters of the death penalty agree that it decreases the rate of crime and population in prisons, and victims of a crime no longer fear that the killer will kill again.
             Supporters agree that the rate of crime is decreased by enforcing the death penalty on those committing serious crimes. By enforcing capital punishment, supports say that it deters others from committing serious crimes, such as murder. A person who premeditates a murder may think twice about the consequences of his/her actions if caught. In his article "The Death Penalty on Trial" Alter states the difficulty imagining a criminal thinking that "since I might get the death penalty for this crime, I won't do it; but if only life in prison, I'd go ahead" (488). This proves that there is no prove that the death penalty will keep people from murdering or committing terrible crimes, but supporters still agree that the death penalty should be enforced.
            
            
             Executing a person does cost more than sentencing that person to life without parole. Even though execution costs more money, it reduces the prison population. Assume that everyone who was convicted of murder was sentenced to life without parole. That would cause population in prisons to overflow, meaning either prisoners would be released or more prisons would have to be built. Alter states in his article that "unless executions are dramatically speeded up, the death penalty will remain far more expensive than life without parole" (489).
             Those who sup...