The death penalty has been a controversial type of sentencing that has been established since the historical documents have been recorded. The death penalty has been given to criminals who have been convicted of one of the most severe crimes, murder. The United States has established differing opinions amongst the death penalty that has created viewpoints for and against the death penalty. Statistics have also been provided to help show that the use of the death penalty has deterred capital crimes related to murder. The death penalty has also impacted law enforcement by focusing the investigation on compiling the necessary evidence and witness accounts in order to correctly gather all the necessary information. The death penalty has always been controversial in history, but the arguments for and against the abolishment of the death penalty is critical in establishing a correct punishment for the crime committed. The death penalty has been backed by statistical analysis that has provided arguments for and against the sentencing based off deterrence methods. People against the death penalty have documented states that do not have the death penalty and have shown a decrease in murder rate. David Cooper’s statistical article provides information for non-death penalty states showing lower murder rates by stating, “When comparisons are made between states with the death penalty and states without, the majority of death penalty states show murder rates higher than non-death penalty states. The average of murder rates per 100,000 population in 1999 among death penalty states was 5.5, whereas the average of murder rates among non-death penalty states was only 3.6,” (Cooper, p.1). The statistics have shown that the death penalty ha... ... middle of paper ... ...e criminal act of homicide. The process of correctly investigating the homicide that has occurred is becoming more crucial with law enforcement and has impacted them due to correctly identifying the root cause of the crime. The death penalty must always be the last type of sentencing that a court is seeking, but if the crime has enough evidence and information provided than the death penalty must be invoked. Works Cited Carter, J. Show Death Penalty the Door. http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000983. Procon.org. Accessed March 24, 2014 Cooper, D. Deterrence: States Without the Death Penalty Have Had Consistently Lower Murder Rates. 2014. http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/deterrence-states-without-death-penalty-have-had-consistently-lower-murder-rates#stateswithvwithout. Death Penalty Information Center. Accessed March 24, 2014.
Capital punishment is the type of punishment that allows the execution of prisoners who are charged and convicted because they committed a “capital crime.” Capital crime is a crime that is considered so horrible and terrifying that anyone who commits it should be punished with death (McMahon, Wallace). After so many years this type of punishment, also known as the “death penalty”, remains a very controversial topic all around the world, raising countless debates on whether it should be legalized or not.
Currently, 35 states still impose the death penalty while 16 states, including the District of Columbia, have abolished it. Opponents of capital punishment point out that the states that allow the death penalty experienced 42 percent more murders than the states who have abolished the deat...
Robert Lee makes many arguments to argue justification of capital punishment in his article, “Deserving to Die.” Some of the stronger ones involve the deterrent effect of the use of the death penalty, why the cost of execution is so high, and how the use of the death penalty increases overall public safety. In Lee’s first argument, he argues that the use of capital punishment helps reduce overall crime by acting as a deterrent to crime. In at least one respect, capital punishment is unquestionably a deterrent, as Lee puts it, “It simply cannot be contested that a killer, once executed, is forever deterred from killing again” (142). Of course, a deceased killer can never kill again, but the effect that death penalty has on others, potential future criminals, is the important question. Lee argues that whether or not it is a deterrent, relies on how swiftly and surely the death penalty is executed. The majority of people are afraid of dying, and if they could choose, would prefer not to die anytime soon. This proves how the death penalty can be a deterrent to other potential criminals to not kill someone, out of fear that they will be put to death themselves. There have also been some circumstances where actual statistical evidence proves the deterrent effect of capital punishment. In the time since the Utah Supreme Court ruled in 1976 that capital punishment be legalized again in the state, there have been three executions. After each of the executions, specifically the year after the executions took place, there were significant decreases in both the number and the rate of murders within the state, compared to previous year(s) (Lee 143). Lee himself does acknowledge that of course there are other variables that could have influence...
The death penalty is a controversial topic in the United States today and has been for a number of years. The death penalty is currently legal in 38 states and two federal jurisdictions (Winters 97). The death penalty statutes were overturned and then reinstated in the United States during the 1970's due to questions concerning its fairness (Flanders 50). The death penalty began to be reinstated slowly, but the rate of executions has increased during the 1990's (Winters103-107). There are a number of arguments in favor of the death penalty. Many death penalty proponents feel that the death penalty reduces crime because it deters people from committing murder if they know that they will receive the death penalty if they are caught. Others in favor of the death penalty feel that even if it doesn't deter others from committing crimes, it will eliminate repeat offenders.
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).
Death Penalty Information Center (n.d.). Deterrence: states without the death penalty have had consistently low murder rates. Retrieved February 8, 2011 from http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/deterrence-states-without-death-penalty-have-had-consistently-lower-murder-rates
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.
The death penalty is one of the oldest forms of punishment, beginning with decapitation, hanging, and eventually escalating to electrocution, and most recent lethal injection. “Lethal injection, known as putting someone to death” (Lethal injection). When convicted of a capital punishment crime the suspect is put through the process of death row. In addition, the Supreme Court has ruled the death penalty to not being a violation of the eighth amendment due to the most recent drugs used being considered the most humane form. Last, support for lethal injection is a very controversial topic.
... the death penalty deters crime more effectively than long terms of imprisonment. States that have death penalty laws do not have lower crime rates or murder rates than states without such laws”’ (“Top Ten”). The death penalty has been around for many years, yet there has been no real impact on crime rates. In fact, states with the death penalty have a higher murder rate than those without (“Capital Punishment”). This is actual proof that our country does not need such a horrendous punishment to attempt to halt crime.
In fact, murder rates are lower in non-death penalty states having the death penalty. According to the studies done by the National Research Council, the claim “the death penalty affects murder rates were fundamentally flawed because they did not consider the effects of noncapital punishments and used "incomplete or implausible models."
States that have death penalty laws do not have lower crime rates or murder rates than states without such laws. The death penalty only takes place for first degree murder, aircraft hijacking and treason. People who commit the last two crimes know exactly what they are doing at the time, and the death penalty will not stop them. The murderers can be stopped. The death penalty will not stop them. Studies show that most of the people on death row committed their crime in the heat of passion or under the influence of drugs or alcohol while some even had mental illnesses. For each of these circumstances, the person would be unable to think about the consequences of his actions in the time of the crime. "The psychological mind-set of the criminal is such that they are not able to consider consequences at the time of the crime. Most crimes are crimes of passion that are done in situations involving intense excitement or concern. People who commit these crimes are not in a normal state of mind - they do not consider the consequences in a logical way" (Dr. Jonathan
In the case of homicide, the family members of the victim are often distraught and are in need of some form of closure before they are able to move on. The death penalty forms this type of closure. It is a reasonable response for a family member to want the criminal’s life to be taken, since he or she took the life of someone they loved. Although it is important for the family of the victim to feel closure, it is also important the surrounding society receives a sense of closure. The thought of murder makes many people very uneasy. The thought of a murderer walking the streets of their community puts them over the edge. The way courts can minimize the crime rate and maximize the safety of society is by appropriately sentencing criminals to the death penalty. The death penalty provides a concrete punishment to criminals that deserve just that.
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...
Some argue that the death penalty does in fact have a positive influence on our society because it acts as deterrent that will scare citizens from committing crimes that could lead to the death penalty. That claim is absurd in many ways. Statistically (http://www.fdp.dk/uk/exec/index.htm) that is way off since the number of executions over the past few decades have dramatically gone up. As long as the death penalty has been around, the number of murders in o...
Statistics show that in areas where the death penalty is enforced there are fewer serious crimes being committed. According to Fein (2008), “As of two thousand and ten there are over seventeen thousand under sentence to be put to death...