The Effects Of The Death Penalty

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[The death penalty has been around as a sentencing option for quite some time. It has always been a topic of debate, whether it should remain legal or become abolished. The death penalty affects society as a whole however, there are specific effects on the criminal justice system. The police officers around the country question the deterrent benefits, while correctional officers deal with the offenders on death row and institutions deal with the executions directly. The courts are also impacted by scheduling and financial cost. These effects are all part of the controversy that’s discussed here.
History of the Death Penalty [The death penalty has both opponents and supporters, it has been around for centuries. The most notorious …show more content…

In the early years of the death penalty, the sentence appeared to be a deterrent to violent crime like homicide. The police were under the impression, as were the rest of society that with the possibility of the ultimate penalty facing anyone charged with a capital offense the number of homicides would decline. However, the research does not seem to support the assumption that the death penalty deters criminals from committing a serious crime that would result in a sentence of death. In a statement about the death penalty, Janet Reno, former Attorney General of the United States (1995) is quoted as stating “I think that the only purpose for the death penalty, as I see it, is vengeance—pure and simple vengeance. But I think vengeance is a very personal feeling and I don’t think it is something that a civilized government should engage in.” In addition, a new national survey of police chiefs from around the country discredits the repeated assertions that the death penalty is an important law enforcement tool (Dieter, 1995). Through the review of statements by many law enforcement employees it is evident that while some officers are proponents of the death penalty, there are police many officials who believe that the death penalty is squandering precious resources that are in limited supply in the current financial climate. Of course, budget and finances are an essential function of running an effective and successful agency, so the concern of police chiefs across the country about spending is a legitimate concern. However, the financial concerns are not the only apprehensions, in a statement from a former police officer Michael May, On December 1, 2008 Mr. May was interviewed by The Baltimore Examiner for an article that appeared in the article “Time to end the death penalty in Maryland”. May reported that through his seven year career as

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