The death penalty: for many it’s a touchy subject and for others it’s a no-brainer. As an Independent who leans more towards the left, I’m a supporter of the death penalty.

Now, even though many Democrats are against the death penalty, statistics show that approximately 58% are in favor of it. 

Statistics have varied widely over the years, but generally Republicans and Independents tend to have a higher percentage of those in favor of the death penalty.

Now, I’m a very liberal person and my values almost always align with my main man Bernie Sanders. Yet this is one of the only topics where my opinion differs from his. He thinks the death penalty should be abolished, whereas I think that would be an awful decision for our country.

Why? Because I don’t believe that the death penalty should be classified as “cruel and unusual” punishment. 

If someone murders or rapes another person, they deserve to be punished for it. Many will agree that yes, they deserve to be punished, but that death is taking it too far.

You know, if you don’t want to be placed on death row, don’t commit the crime in the first place.

One argument against the death penalty is that it’s too expensive, and that’s certainly true. Why’s it so expensive?

Well, there are legal costs, pre-trial costs, trial, appeals, and incarceration costs, not to mention the actual costs of the materials used to implement the penalty. 

In general, though, going through the legal system and incarceration process even when you’re not on death row still costs the state millions of dollars. 

I personally think it’s worth the cost to make sure that these people can never hurt anyone again.

There’s also the argument that it’s “inhumane” and that lethal injection can take long, painful hours to actually work. 

Alright, so? I’m sorry, but if you murder another person, I quite frankly don’t care if it’s painful. 

Take Nikolas Cruz for instance. He walked into a high school and shot thirty-four people, killing seventeen unarmed people. His trial is set for January 2020 and I hope with every ounce of my being that he gets the death penalty.

It’s better than living his life out in a prison cell, tax-payer dollars being used to fund his meals. He even said “part of me is wishing it end with the death penalty.”

I will admit there are negatives of the death penalty, for example, people have previously been wrongly convicted and put to death. This goes along with the fact that there needs to be enough solid evidence in order to convict someone. 

For people like Nikolas Cruz and Dylann Roof, who both committed mass shootings, it’s quite obvious that they’re guilty, though.

Overall, the death penalty is a necessary part of our society, and even though it’s not pleasant, it has to exist.

Abigail is a sophomore Mass Communications and French major and Vice President of the BU Democrats.