Studies: Death Penalty Discourages Crime

by Deputy Dog 17 Replies latest social current

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  Deputy Dog

  From: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,280215,00.html

  Anti-death penalty forces have gained momentum in the past few years, with a moratorium in Illinois, court disputes over lethal injection in more than a half-dozen states and progress toward outright abolishment in New Jersey.

  "What gets little notice, however, is a series of academic studies over the last half-dozen years that claim to settle a once hotly debated argument — whether the death penalty acts as a deterrent to murder. The analyses say yes. They count between three and 18 lives that would be saved by the execution of each convicted killer."
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  juni

  Hi DeputyDog!

  I'm all for the death penalty when there is ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT that the person is guilty of murder or pedophilia.

  I know this is going to open a can of worms, but........................ that's my opinion.

  Edited to say: A quick bullet to the head w/no lingering on death row.

  Juni
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  hamsterbait

  Wisconsin abolished the death penalty in 1851.

  The number of murders actually rose after an execution.

  Go figure.

  HB
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  Forscher

  I am familiar with the study,

  The studies on whether the death penalty discourages crime or not are mixed. Some claim that violent crime actually rises when executions occur, others claim just the opposite. It appears that the differences depend on how one adjusts the statistics to eliminate other factors. Therein also lies the controversy surrounding the studies.

  my detractors here will probably be surprised to find out that I once turned in a researched position piece in college which argued against the death penalty. My reasons were as follows:

  1. The evidence is not certain that the death penalty achieves the goal of discouraging homicides in the first place.
  2. The death penalty, as currently practiced in the United States is arbitrary and discriminatory against those little or no monetary means. As of 1995 all persons on California's death row used public defenders, there were no studies at the time which explored that situation nationwide.
  3. The objective of incapacitating offenders and preventing them from committing further homicides can be achieved by other means, i.e. life imprisonment without possibility of parole.

  Forscher
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  mkr32208

  Lets test that hypothesis on Paris Hilton!
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  Deputy Dog

  Forscher

  The death penalty, as currently practiced in the United States is arbitrary and discriminatory against those little or no monetary means. As of 1995 all persons on California's death row used public defenders, there were no studies at the time which explored that situation nationwide.

  Are there any stats on innocents being put to death? I'm not aware of a single case, in modern US history that has been proven.

  The objective of incapacitating offenders and preventing them from committing further homicides can be achieved by other means, i.e. life imprisonment without possibility of parole.

  Sounds cruel!
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  LtCmd.Lore

  I'm all for the death penalty when there is ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT that the person is guilty of murder or pedophilia.

  I agree.

  A quick bullet to the head w/no lingering on death row.

  I agree.

  Lore of the raises his hand to say 'same comment' class.
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  LtCmd.Lore

  The objective of incapacitating offenders and preventing them from committing further homicides can be achieved by other means, i.e. life imprisonment without possibility of parole.

  But it's not just about keeping convicted criminals out of society, it's a deterant for people who may not even get caught.

  It raises the stakes for people who think they can get away with it.

  Also it costs money to keep people in jail. You have to pay for their food, you have to pay for guards, you have to pay for their room and board... that's a lot of expense for somebody who doesn't deserve to live.
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  GentlyFeral

  mkr32208:

  Lets test that hypothesis on Paris Hilton!

  Huh? Who did she kill?

  gently f eral
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  Deputy Dog

  Forscher

  If we put to death the people that murder on Monday Wednesday and Friday, give life in prison to those that murder on the rest of the week, what days of the week do you think most murders would occur on?