Opposing the Death Penalty

People who break the law should be punished, and people who commit violent crimes should be punished severely. But Alan believes that as a civil society we have better options than the death penalty. Studies by criminologists in multiple states tell us that the death penalty does not deter crime. Instead, death penalty and trials cost millions of dollars more per case than life imprisonment – money we should spend on preventing crime and supporting the families of crime victims.

• The death penalty has not been proven to reduce crime.
• DNA evidence in dozens of cases has proved that innocent people have been wrongly sentenced to death.
• It costs as much as $1.9 million more to put someone on death row than in prison. That money should be used instead on effective public safety programs.

As a US Senator, Alan Khazei will promote humane, proven, and effective programs such as:

• Properly funding the court system
• Improving prisoner re-entry programs