For most crimes committed in the United States a fine, sentence of time in jail or execution is the punishment. However, the death penalty is the most questionable punishment. Is it morally right? Is it effective in deterring crime, primarily murders? Weather or not you agree if it is moral or not, one issue remains. The death penalty is not an effective way to deter crime.
The death penalty has existed as long as humans have existed. The quote "an eye for an eye" is found in the Bible. In the middle ages fines, public humiliation and imprisonment were appropriate punishments for all crimes, and death penalty for all murders. Today, Federal law states that the death penalty is to be enforced with convicted criminals for: treason; deserting armed forces during wartime; murder committed by a soldier; kidnapping and murder that involves crossing state lines; murder committed during an airplane hijacking; and of course, homicide. The death penalty is also called for punishment of for: attempting to kill anyone investigating or prosecuting his or her activities; advising, directing, authorizing or assisting in the murder of someone. Also,.
The Anti-Drug AbuseAct of 1988 calls for the death penalty for all drug related killings. Along with that, the bill amending sec. 848 to controlled substances act calls for the death penalty or life imprisonment for certain drug offences possession of 10 or more kg of heroin, cocaine, phencyclidine or analogue. Even though there are these federal laws requiring the use of the death penalty for the crimes, state laws only consider one crime, murder, to be a capital offense.
In the United States alone there have been 4047 executions since 1930, and 188 were from 1977-1996. In 1996, there were a total of 15,168,100 arrests; 33,050 for forcible rape; 1,506,200 involving drug violations and 19,020 for murder and non-negligent manslaughter. The death penalty was enforced 45 times.
The argument for the abolishment of the death penalty is whether or not it does any good to decrease crime. Studies from the University of Minnesota have showed that states that have the death penalty don't have a lower crime rate. ... The death penalty is a global issue. ... A big argument is whether or not the death penalty prevents crime. ... The death penalty isn't a way to prevent crime. ...
The argument most often cited by supporters of death penalty is that the threat of executions deters crimes more than life imprisonment. ... Statistics from the Death Penalty Information Center (1997) show that the death penalty does not really deter crime. ... The United States, for instance, is the only Western nation that still allows the death penalty and has one of the highest crime rates. In 1996, death penalty states averaged a rate of 7.1 criminal homicides per 100,000, while non-death penalty states averaged a rate of 3.6 (Death Penalty Information Center, 1997). ... According to rese...
I am against the death penalty. ... According to the Death Penalty Information Center, "The report noted that the Texas crime rate rose 4% in 2001, nearly five times the national average, and the state posted a 7.6% increase in homicides. ... Crime has not gone down in areas where the death penalty has been streamlined for quickness. ... "The Death Penalty on Trial." ... "Debating the Death Penalty." ...
(Religious Organizing Against the Death Penalty Website) The main argument that advocates for the death penalty have is that the death penalty deters crime, that the threat of execution is enough to make criminals think twice about committing a capital crime. ... Clearly, by the time he has decided to commit his crime, he has already disregarded other forms of punishment besides the death penalty, such as lengthy imprisonment. ... (Death Penalty Information Center Website) People justify the death penalty in saying that in the Bible God says that murder should be punished with deat...
Currently, there have been over 1,000 deaths due to the death penalty since 1976 (Death Penalty Information Center). ... Court passed a law in 1977 stating that the death penalty was too excessive for rape crimes (Finkelman). ... If the death penalty was used more often then people wouldn't be afraid to step out of their homes everyday and have to worry about getting robbed, shot, or raped (Do you agree that capital punishment protects the public and discourages crime?). ... People believe that if the death penalty increases than the crime rate will decrease. ... Many of the criminals of ...
Lately, murderers have been getting a punishment equal to their crime, death. ... The death penalty contradicts the whole idea of human rights. ... Supporters of the death penalty believe that the death penalty helps keep the crime and murder rate down, but that is not so. States with death penalty laws do not have lower crime or rates than states that with death penalty laws. ... If the death penalty is not "cruel and unusual punishment" then what is? ...
There have been many comparisons of crime rates of death penalty states to non-death penalty states. ... Isn't it odd that the crime rates were high with the death penalty and low without? ... I believe that the death penalty isn't an effective way to deter crime. ... The death penalty is not an effective way to deter crime. ... Studies show that there is no relation between crime rates with death penalty states and crime rates without. ...
-Contact Death Penalty Focus. ... -Start a Death Penalty Focus chapter at your school. ... -Attend national conferences on death penalty organizing. ... What Teachers Can Do -Use the Death Penalty Information Center's curriculum for educators in your classroom! ... Death Penalty Focus can help you find many excellent speakers. ...
The death penalty is not a surefire way to punish criminals. ... Jury members may avoid the death penalty for this very reason. ... The ACLU wrote that there is no evidence that shows that the death penalty deters crimes more than long sentences of imprisonment. If the death penalty does not deter crime, why should there have a death penalty? While some studies claim that the death penalty does deter violent crimes, there are many others, including professors from Yale and University of Pennsylvania, who believe that there is no evidence to support this belief (Ruggiero). ...
Support of the death penalty from society is strong and studies prove that capital punishment is essential for the lowering of the crime rate and for preventing the recurrence of crime. ... Many people say that the death penalty does not deter crime; therefore there is no use for it. ... These examples clearly show the benefit of a higher penalty, such as the death penalty, to distinguish the difference between murder and other crimes. ... Liberals argue that the death penalty in the 1960's did not deter the number of crimes. ... Why the death penalty should not be dismissed ...
