4). They contend that most people on death row know they will not face execution, but will draw the legal fight out with appeals for as long as possible, and so, the death penalty is not a deterrent for them or others, because of the unlikelihood it will ever actually be carried out.
In addition, researchers argue that it is impossible to determine true deterrence with using time or similar defendants and punishment, there is no scientific way to conduct these tests effectively. Another researcher writes, "We have not been and never will be able to verify the deterrent effect of executions by conducting a 'controlled' scientific experiment, which would randomly assign either execution or some term of years to similarly situated defendants in similarly situated jurisdictions" (Steiker, 2005). In short, there is no real, reliable model to determine how many lives might be saved by executing prisoners, because each case is different, and the data used are simply too variable.
Donohue and Wolfers also completed their own study of homicide executions from 1934 through 2000, and found that executions actually negatively impacted lifesaving. They write, "The resulting four estimates for the longer data period: -1.5, -1.5, -1.7, -1.0, now uniformly suggesting no benefit from executions (an estimate of -1 implies that no murders were deterred and one life was lost by virtue of the execution)" (Donohue & Wolfers, 2006, p. 4). These results reversed a similar study completed over a shorter time span, and the authors believe this skewed the result because capital punishment was much more prevalent in the earlier part of the 20th century, which the study did not include. There study included earlier years, and they believe that made it more complete and correct.
In
The subject is controversial for any number of reasons, but more and more studies seem to indicate that capital punishment does not deter murder, and in fact, it may actually add to the risk of murder. Some people believe it is because as society murders its criminals for their acts, society becomes more accustomed to the act of murder, and tends to take it less seriously. The empirical evidence indicates that capital punishment does not deter criminals from committing murder, and that the capital punishment system is flawed for numerous reasons. Life imprisonment provides a deterrent without the moral objections that capital punishment brings.
References
Donohue, J.J. And Wolfers, J. (2006). The death penalty: No evidence for deterrence. Retrieved 20 April 2009 from the Death Penalty Info.org Web site: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/DonohueDeter.pdf. 1-6.
Editors. (2008). Capital punishment statistics. Retrieved 20 April 2009 from the U.S. Department of Justice Web site: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cp.htm.
Grant, R. (2004, January/February). Capital punishment and violence. The Humanist, 64, 25+.
Haney, C. (2005). Death by design: Capital punishment as social psychological system. New York: Oxford University Press.
Steiker, C.S. (2005). No, capital punishment is not morally required: Deterrence, deontology,…
Criminal Justice: The Death Penalty Reasons for topic selection Causes of racial prejudice and discrimination Juvenile in delinquent society theory Culture and values Official and unofficial values The effectiveness of the death penalty The death penalty is irreversible The death penalty is barbaric Changes to the death sentence Implemented changes Sentencing guidelines Bifurcated trials Automatic appellate conviction review Proportionality review The importance of proposed changes Anticipated outcome Life imprisonment; alternative to death sentences The costs Decency standards Overall efficiency Policies in support of incarceration Conclusion References Background Despite the controversy over how effective it is
If the court puts a man in prison and later discovers his innocence, he can easily be released. It is tragic, but he is able to get at least some of his life back, largely dependent on how long he was incarcerated. If a man has been executed, however, and then it is discovered that he was innocent, there is no compensation that can be given. His life is
Research reveals that those who kill white victims are much more likely to receive the death penalty than those who kill black victims. One study found that for similar crimes committed by similar defendants, blacks received the death penalty at a 38% higher rate than all others (Dieter, 1998). It is significant to note that the death penalty is more likely to be imposed on men than woman. Death sentences
Abstract This paper examines the death penalty as a deterrent and argues that states have not only the right but the duty to apply the death penalty to criminal cases because it is incumbent upon states to back the law with force. The death penalty acts as a forceful and compelling consequence for those who should choose to violate the law and commit murder. For that reason it can be said
The study also made an assessment of the 14 countries who eradicated the capital punishment. Murder went up by 7% from five years prior to the abolition period to five years following the abolition claimed by the study. Besides, researches were conducted by Prof. Issac Erlich from the years 1933 to 1969. He came to the conclusion that "An added execution per year might bring down the number of
Capital Punishment & DNA DNA Evidence, Capital Punishment, & the Criminal Justice System Capital Punishment is an issue of great contention. There are many people who strongly favor the use of capital punishment; there are also a great number of people that are adamantly against the use of capital punishment. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) evidence has become a crucial factor in the criminal justice system and the issue of capital punishment. Since the
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now