Despite executing more than 500 individuals since 1982, in 2016 Texas executed the fewest number of people in two decades. Executions are in decline — and death penalty support in the Lone Star State has also begun to wane.

Conservatives are part of this shift. A growing number have been reconsidering the death penalty and questioning whether it aligns with our principles. Pro-life, social conservatives and faith leaders are sparking new discussions within their communities about whether capital punishment’s usage is ultimately in accordance with their principles of valuing life.

Capital punishment certainly does devalue life — and it even imperils the innocent. We know of at least 13 people in Texas who were wrongfully convicted and sentenced to die. There are others who have been executed but may have been innocent.

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Fiscal conservatives are increasingly recognizing the death penalty’s deep financial implications, considering it costs millions more than life without parole. Many conservatives are concerned that capital punishment is cramping their state’s budget and taking away resources that would be better used to support the local community. In 2015, former Texas U.S. Rep. Ron Paul — a supporter of Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty – echoed those sentiments in an opinion column, writing that it was "hard to find a more wasteful and inefficient government program than the death penalty." He noted that Jasper County raised property taxes by seven percent in order to pay for just one capital case — a claim that was ruled "true" by PolitiFact.

Information has also come out over time that has led experts to conclude that the death penalty itself is not effective as a deterrent. Nearly 88 percent of criminologists do not believe that capital punishment protects the public. In the same poll, 78 percent of those surveyed said that "having the death penalty in a state does not lower the murder rate." Moreover, there is no correlation between the death penalty and lower murder rates. States with the death penalty have higher murder rates on average, according to data by Death Penalty Information Center.

The capital punishment system is complex, while the mandated processes are time-consuming. This means that murder victims’ families face multiple trials, appeals and perpetual publicity that requires them to relive their family member’s death — repeatedly — for many years.

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There are also racial implications related to Texas’ death penalty usage. Eighty percent of death sentences over the last five years have been imposed on people of color, according to the report provided by the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Furthermore, all nine men sentenced to death in Dallas or Tarrant County since 2012 are African-American. Fifteen of the last 18 defendants sentenced to die in Harris County are African-American, while the other three are Hispanic. For those concerned with racial equality, the death penalty is simply inadequate.

There are myriad reasons to oppose capital punishment in Texas. Between the high financial costs, high number of wrongful convictions and failure to effectively deter homicide, conservative Texans are starting to realize that the death penalty is marred by inequity, inefficiency and inaccuracy. It is no surprise that public support for capital punishment is declining. Given all of its problems, Texas’ death penalty should be laid to rest.