• Does the death penalty deter crime? If so, why are crime rates in the United States high compared to those in other nations? “The question of whether the death penalty is a more effective deterrent than long-term imprisonment has been debated for decades or longer by scholars, policy makers, and the general public” (Radelet & Lacock, 2009). When a defendant is convicted and sentenced to death, theoretically what follows is an execution. An execution doesn’t follow death sentences very swiftly, and in some cases at all for a variety of reasons. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that only 15% of people sentenced to death from 1973-2009 had been executed by the end of 2009. Of these cases, 46% ended in alternate ways (reversed convictions, commuted sentences, or the death of the inmate). Of the inmates sentenced to death during that period, 39% were still …show more content…
Critics of capital punishment hold that because most homicides are situational and are not planned, offenders do not consider the consequences of their actions before they commit the offense” (Mooney, Knox, & Schacht, 2015, p.133). Most people on death row committed their crimes in the heat of the moment, usually while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or, in some cases, due to suffering from mental illness. These individuals are highly unlikely to make rational decisions based on a fear of future consequences for their actions. Criminals are mainly concerned with whether or not they’ll be caught, not what might happen to them afterwards. Nationally, murder rates are significantly lower in states that don’t use the death penalty than in those with a death penalty law. “Critics also point out that the United States has a higher murder rate than most western European nations that do not practice capital punishment, and that death sentences are racially discriminatory” (Mooney, Knox, & Schacht, 2015,
Depending on the state of your offense your sentence will be determined by the jury and the judge. When a person is sentenced to the capital punishment it does not take affect overnight. The process takes about 10 to 15 years before you are actually executed; so the inmates spends up to 10 to 20 years in prison before your actual execution day. To execute someone cost an immense amount of money that is now being looked at as a waste of taxpayer’s money. Just in California, they spent $4 billion between the years of 1980 and 2012. Every year for each case that amount increases $134 million (Daily Beast [DB],
Nagin, D., Pepper, J., National Research Council (U.S.)., National Research Council (U.S.)., National Research Council (U.S.)., & National Research Council (U.S.). (2012). Deterrence and the death penalty. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
There are wide and divergent opinions on the United States’ Supreme Court decisions on capital punishment. While proponents of capital punishment allege that it can be applied as with the existence of sufficient due process, others contend that human life is irreplaceable and that “every person has the right to have their life respected” (Oppenheim, “Capital Punishment in the United States”). While capital punishment has phased in and out of the United States’ criminal justice system in the past few decades, current trends seem to fall out of favor with the death penalty. As Snell indicates, by yearend of 2011, there were 3,082 inmates held across 35 states and the Federal Bureau of Prisons under the death sentence, where 9 states executed 43 inmates in both 2011 and 2012 (“Capital Punishment, 2011 – Statistical Tables”). In order to gain a deeper understanding and enhanced projection of the death penalty development, it is prudent to first examining historical accounts of cases that have been decided in favor or against the capital punishment in the United States.
In 1967, Thorsten Sellin argued that “the presence of the death penalty in law and practice has no discernible effect as a deterrent to murder.” In the mid-1970s, Isaac Ehrlich countered after looking at national homicide rates between 1930 and 1970 that each execution deterred between seven and eight homicides. Many researchers have tried to duplicate Ehrlich’s results, but most of them have been unsuccessful. (Schonebaum, 2002) According to the website Illini for Life (Deterrence Factor,) although the murder rate has stayed relatively steady since 1976, the rate of execution has skyrocketed.
During the 1970s, the top argument in favor of the death penalty was general deterrence. This argument suggests that we must punish offenders to discourage others from committing similar offenses; we punish past offenders to send a message to potential offenders. In a broad sense, the deterrent effect of punishment is thought to b...
...bate on the merits of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime but there is no debate that its a costly inefficient law. Although the amount by which the death penalty far exceeds life in prison can be debated, the fact always remains that its more costly. Furthermore, as previously shown, more than half of the death penalty sentences are overturned, resulting in a sentence of life in prison. The question then becomes, why are they separated in prison in the first place? Does a determination by a judge and jury make the convict more or less dangerous either way? Why spend the extra money separating the death row convicts from the lifers? Has it become clearly established that a death sentence is a greater punishment than life in prison? It is clear that there are too many variable and unknown factors for such a polarizing and severe punishment to be a law.
A review of the available evidence recently led a National Research Council committee to conclude—again—that we still do not know whether the legal status or use of capital punishment has any influence on homicide (Siennick, 2012). Research methods have shown that a short-term deterrent effect holds true only for non-felony homicides. Felony homicides actually increase slightly after an execution (Siennick, 2012). According to research done in Texas, felony homicides are the only type of homicides that are eligible for the Death Penalty. This does pose a problem for determining whether or not the Death Penalty is an effective deterrent or not. Land et al. suggests that their findings point to subtypes of potential murderers who might respond differently to the threat of execution (Sien...
Certain states in America still impose the death penalty for serious offences, with the support of the community as it prevents reoffending and aims to prevent future offending (Durlauf, Fu, and Navarro 2013). Data collected over a period of time by numerous studies have conflicting evidence on the success of the deterrent effect. Some suggest that states which enforce the death penalty have lower rates of serious crimes (Radelet and Lacock 2009; Death Penalty Information Centre 2016; Abrams 2012) when compared to states that do not enforce the penalty. While other studies suggest that the rate of serious crimes is lower in states that do not enforce the penalty (Radelet and Lacock 2009, 502; Durlauf, Fu, and Navarro 2013).
Polls show that most Americans support the death penalty and see it as a deterrent to crime. In a 1991 Gallup poll, 76 percent of the sample surveyed favored the death penalty. However. the question was then posed that if new evidence showed that the death penalty didn't reduce crime would they still favor it. In that context, only 52 percent supported it. (Akers and Radelet 3). "These findings indicate, that the assumption of a deterrent effect is a major factor in public and political endorsement of the death penalty." (Ibid.)
One of society’s main questions today is how can we lower the rates of these heinous crimes in our country. The answer is giving them the highest consequence for their crime: death. Although people have argued that issuing the death penalty does not deter crime, there is a significant amount of evidence to prove it HAS lowered crimes such as murder.
Jacoby believes the death penalty protects society by threatening future murders with fear. Gaes believes the death penalty is necessary because the overpopulation in prisons causes emotional and physical distress. The stronger side of the debate seems to be that the death penalty does not discourage crime at all nor does it help the victim’s family heal. It would be useful to know whether or not death-penalty states as a whole have lower rates of crime than non-death penalty states when arguing for the death penalty.
"Death penalty and crime deterrence." Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society written by Michael Kronenwetter, an author writer from the years 1990 with his first publication until he died in early 2010. Michael Kronenwetter is bias because he wrote several books about Capital Punishment and why it’s wrong to do so in America. The purpose of this article was to inform people of the crime rates with and without Capital Punishment per state. The article that Michael Kronenwetter wrote is a valuable source of information because it provides both people point of views whether it is for or against Capital punishment in America. The author informed me of a statistic that happened as early as 1919 that shows no statistical evidence that Capital Punishment has an effect on the homicide rate in America, and that most abolitionists base their arguments off of statistics. The only limitation that I can think that t...
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” is how the saying goes. Coined by the infamous Hammurabi’s Code around 1700 BC, this ancient expression has become the basis of a great political debate over the past several decades – the death penalty. While the conflict can be whittled down to a matter of morals, a more pragmatic approach shows defendable points that are far more evidence backed. Supporters of the death penalty advocate that it deters crime, provides closure, and is a just punishment for those who choose to take a human life. Those against the death penalty argue that execution is a betrayal of basic human rights, an ineffective crime deterrent, an economically wasteful option, and an outdated method. The debate has experienced varying levels of attention over the years, but has always kept in the eye of the public. While many still advocate for the continued use of capital punishment, the process is not the most cost effective, efficient, consistent, or up-to-date means of punishment that America could be using today.
The death penalty is needed to deter crime in the United States. The death penalty has been around since ancient times, and it has served as a punishment for serious crimes. Capital punishment has shown the world that committing serious crimes such as murder and treason are looked down upon, and that it will not be tolerated. In order to discourage wrongdoing in our country, the death penalty is needed. The principle reasons for the death penalty are convicted criminals are used to deter crime and all people killed by the death penalty are convicted criminals. These two facts confirm that all people killed by the death penalty are people used by the government to prevent crime. Although there are several objections to this statement, these
The death penalty has always been and continues to be a very controversial issue. People on both sides of the issue argue endlessly to gain further support for their movements. While opponents of capital punishment are quick to point out that the United States remains one of the few Western countries that continue to support the death penalty, Americans are also more likely to encounter violent crime than citizens of other countries (Brownlee 31). Justice mandates that criminals receive what they deserve. The punishment must fit the crime. If a burglar deserves imprisonment, then a murderer deserves death (Winters 168). The death penalty is necessary and the only punishment suitable for those convicted of capital offenses. Seventy-five percent of Americans support the death penalty, according to Turner, because it provides a deterrent to some would-be murderers and it also provides for moral and legal justice (83). "Deterrence is a theory: It asks what the effects are of a punishment (does it reduce the crime rate?) and makes testable predictions (punishment reduces the crime rate compared to what it would be without the credible threat of punishment)", (Van Den Haag 29). The deterrent effect of any punishment depends on how quickly the punishment is applied (Workshop 16). Executions are so rare and delayed for so long in comparison th the number of capitol offenses committed that statistical correlations cannot be expected (Winters 104). The number of potential murders that are deterred by the threat of a death penalty may never be known, just as it may never be known how many lives are saved with it. However, it is known that the death penalty does definitely deter those who are executed. Life in prison without the possibility of parole is the alternative to execution presented by those that consider words to be equal to reality. Nothing prevents the people sentenced in this way from being paroled under later laws or later court rulings. Furthermore, nothing prevents them from escaping or killing again while in prison. After all, if they have already received the maximum sentence available, they have nothing to lose. For example, in 1972 the U.S. Supreme Court banished the death penalty. Like other states, Texas commuted all death sentences to life imprisonment. After being r...