Keeping murderers off the streets is a great idea. Prison won't do much to murderers because they can escape from prison and live their lives there. But punishing them will give them the fear of not committing such a crime and the greater the punishment, the safer the country will be. Studies have concluded fairly consistently that the death penalty does not serve as a deterrent. Studies show that states without the death penalty have homicide rates as low or lower than states that have it. Only 2% of all murders result in the imposition of the death penalty. Since 1973, over 120 innocent people have been released from death row, most of them despite the system and not because the system worked. Cost analyzes have shown that life imprisonment is actually less costly than a death sentence. The same crime that lands one person on death row can result in a prison sentence for another. The worst criminals often escape the death penalty. A prison sentence provides quicker justice for victims' families. It provides a deterrent for prisoners already serving a life sentence