There are several things to think about when considering whether the death penalty should be used. Yes, it would be cheaper. Millions of dollars cheaper, in fact. The thing is, without the death penalty there is absolutely no deterrent from committing heinous crimes. For some people, life in prison might even be better than their normal life. Even at it's most simple, they get a roof over their head and three meals a day. It wouldn't shock me if someone committed murder JUST to get those things. If you were some homeless person who scrounged for food, wouldn't you? If one knew that they would be sentenced to death if they committed a certain crime, don't you think that they would be more inclined to NOT commit that crime?

Also, there's the prevention of future murders. I don't really like the eye for an eye thing because I'm the type that says, "What's done is done." So, who's been killed has been killed and killing this guy won't bring the person he murdered back. For me it's more about preventing this person from going out and killing again. One can escape from prison, it has been done, but one cannot come back from the grave.