One issue that continues to divide America is the death penalty. In the United States today, 32 states allow the death penalty as the maximum form of punishment, and 18 states have since abolished it and replaced it with life imprisonment without parole. As of July 1, 2013, there are a total of 3,095 inmates currently incarcerated on death row. Since 1976, 1,370 death row inmates have been executed (“Death Penalty Facts”). Overall, it's a very controversial topic with many different points of view. Many supporters of the death penalty believe that it is more ethical to carry out capital punishment since those who suffer it have committed the most heinous and unforgivable crimes. Evidence and research demonstrate that capital punishment is not morally permissible. Many studies show that the death penalty costs much more than life without parole for the maximum sentence (Dieter 6). There is also a lack of evidence on the deterrent effect that punishment and the death penalty have on would-be murderers. The criminal justice system is not perfect and is bound to make mistakes. Innocent beings have been put on death row and then acquitted, some even after execution. States should abolish capital punishment and replace it with a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole and include restitution. Expenses States should turn to alternative forms of maximum punishment due to the high cost of carrying out the death penalty. There are less expensive forms of punishment available to states like Life without Parole. Death row inmates require increased security and special types of housing (Evans 76). According to a report compiled by the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice in 2008, it costs an average of $90,000… half the paper… ber?, 46 LOY. LAL REV. S1 (2012).Mitchell, Hayley R., ed. The death penalty. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2001. Print.Radelet, Michael L., and Traci L. Lacock. "Do Executions Reduce Homicide Rate? The Views of Leading Criminologists." The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology99.2 (2009): 489-508. Death Penalty Information Center. Northwestern University School of Law, 2009. Web. March 20, 2014.Reitan, Eric. “Why the Deterrence Argument for Capital Punishment Fails.” Criminal Justice Ethics 12.1 (1993): 26-33. Premier of academic research. Network. March 20, 2014. Spence, Sean. "Bad or crazy?" New Scientist 181.2439 (2004): 38-41. Premier of academic research. Network. March 21, 2014. United States. Department of Justice. The United States Department of Justice. By Eric Holder. Np, 03 August 2009. Web. 20 March. 2014. .