The death penalty has always been an interesting topic to me. My gut has always told me I was against the death penalty, and for the most part, I have never denied that feeling.

But when I hear a lot of people expressing their favor for the cause, then I begin to wonder if I’m being too idealistic.

Frankly, I don’t think I am.

In a general sense, I believe that everyone deserves second chances; I believe that people should continue to have the opportunity to repent. Whether they so choose to take it or not, that’s their doing. But I don’t believe someone else has the right to take that opportunity away.

So, for this subject, things get a lot harder and a lot more cringe-worthy.

Someone who murders others, rapes others, simply lives a life lacking love or respect; really just a horrible human being who had acted in completely disgusting ways is put to question as to whether they live or die for their actions.

It seems fair, and yes, even to me, that if someone horribly murdered an innocent child that they too should face an unjust death themselves. If someone murdered my mother or father, with no motive or any of the sort, I think I would like to never see their face on earth again. I would never want them to live life knowing that they’re alive, and my mother or father is dead.

While hypothetical for me, these feelings are all too real for people all around the world, especially in America.

As a Catholic, I believe that everyone is worthy of forgiveness, and to imagine that a human like that could also be worthy, well that is very tough.

But I have come to understand that despite their actions, despite their ignorance against God, despite their disrespect towards humanity, and despite their evil motives, they should have a chance to seek forgiveness.

If we take their life away, that shatters their chance to redeem themselves here on earth. Catholicism stands firm in their beliefs that no matter the evil act committed, we should not act in a way that will end their life. Catholics are unconditionally pro-life; when the state, in our names and with our taxes, ends a human life despite having non-lethal alternatives, it suggests that society can overcome violence with violence. The use of the death penalty ought to be abandoned not only for what it does to those who are executed, but for what it does to all of society .

It is not idealistic to believe that these evil human beings can find some amount, even the slightest of redemption in their lives. Yes, they are in a prison. Yes, they would not be let out if murder is what they committed. But a chance to get to know one’s stance with God and with their own soul is still very, very possible even if one is locked up in a solitary cell.

And even if God isn’t the concern for the person, I think human dignity is still very critical. I read about some of the last meals inmates get before their execution, and I wondered why we even did that if we were killing them… A response given was that it gave them dignity before they died, and it looked more humane for the executors, as if that was the "kind" gesture in the entire situation.

Dignity? We are killing them. I don’t think a meal of their choosing is going to make up for their dignity of life.

Then the counter would be, well what about the dignity of the ones they killed? They took that away from them.

Murder is disgusting and an act of complete evil.

It is literally just a hateful act of someone lacking any idea of compassion towards another. And we all hate it, we cannot stand to hear on the news every day how someone murders this person or these people or whatever.

We wish it would end. However, I believe that if we choose to kill the person, we are not making their evil deed a better outcome.

It sounds silly to some, and definitely not enough for some of those personally affected by the act, but I think that keeping the killer behind bars is justice if we are following what we preach. Let the killer just figure themselves out, leave them to be away from the world and just be in a state of reflection of their act. It can sound like not enough, but I believe that is a just amount of dignity that can be given for such a cruel human being. It is not our will to decide their life’s end, even if they so acted against that to others.

Well, why should our tax dollars be spent more on keeping this person behind bars than just letting them be executed?

Funny thing, it's substantially more expensive to pursue the death penalty than to give a life sentence in most states.

For Washington, each death penalty case costs an average of $1 million more than a similar case where the death penalty was not sought ($3.07 million, versus $2.01 million). Defense costs were about three times as high in death penalty cases and prosecution costs were as much as four times higher than for non-death penalty cases.

For Nevada, the Legislative Auditor estimated the cost of a murder trial in which the death penalty was sought cost $1.03 to $1.3 million, whereas cases without the death penalty cost $775,000. The auditor summarized the study's findings, saying, "Adjudicating death penalty cases takes more time and resources compared to murder cases where the death penalty sentence is not pursued as an option. These cases are more costly because there are procedural safeguards in place to ensure the sentence is just and free from error."

For California, the cost of the present system with reforms recommended by the Commission to ensure a fair process would be $232.7 million per year. The cost of a system which imposes a maximum penalty of lifetime incarceration instead of the death penalty would be $11.5 million per year.

Absolutely insane differences that speak for themselves.

So, how should we be using our tax dollars: In allegiance to sentencing death against those who we are punishing for death, or punishing humanely in order to practice what we preach?

Now if we are thinking back about the criminal, murderer, horrible human being figuring themselves out and giving them a chance to reflect ... That is a frustrating decision because the person may not even seek resolution for themselves. Sometimes the person is too completely crazy or mentally ill to even come to such a resolution for themselves. But in reality, that’s not the overall point.

The point is that we don’t have a say whether someone lives or dies. We shouldn’t kill because they killed. Our country fights for dignity and respect, and some people really fail at following those values and choose to truly shatter that message, but we shouldn’t sink to the level of those people, especially at such high costs it takes to be those kinds of citizens.

The death penalty is a very tough aspect to touch on because there are so many routes to be taken, countered, and fought for. But my message is to simply remember that our acts can easily resemble ones committed by wrongful human beings, and that we do not call the shots on someone else’s life. Although people act against their conscience, we should stay true to our own and let them live with their sin. Hopefully find, somewhere and in any amount, some kind of resolution for such a cruel happening, while also remembering the huge costs it takes not only in our pockets, but in our consciences.

Based on Catholic teaching and economical thought, I believe that is the least we can do in order to get the better out of a disgusting situation, rather than just kill because they killed.