Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin ("Death Penalty Information"). For many different unfounded and unreasonable purposes, these states will, under no circumstances, execute a criminal. Judges in these states are forced to use life in prison without parole, an inefficient and expensive punishment, as a maximum penalty for murder and other heinous crimes.
             There are many possible reasons for some states' refusal to legislate the death penalty; one of these is a common interpretation of the 8th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. A portion of the 8th Amendment states that "cruel and unusual punishment" shall not be inflicted on any person or group (Van den Haag, Conrad 157). Some state government officials believe that the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment, therefore it is considered unconstitutional and is prohibited by state law. According to Ernest van den Haag however, the 5th Amendment, which was enacted in the same year as the 8th, states that no one shall be deprived of "life, liberty, or property without due process of law." This amendment implies that any given person may be deprived of life with the due process of law. Therefore, contrary to the beliefs of many, the death penalty is perfectly legal and constitutional (157).
             In addition to the constitutional legality of the matter, another possible cause is the cost of the death penalty. A prison cell for a murderer on trial for the death penalty costs approximately $60,000 per year. For 6 years, at a 2% annual increase in cost (based on historical increase in prison costs and inflation), plus $1.5 milli
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