Crime and the Death Penalty
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. Als
--- Bibliography "Crimes, Politics and Race" Harvard Journal of law and Public Policy Winter 1997: pg. Also, Isaac Ehrlich concluded from his research that every execution prevented 8 murders. Statistics show that there is no relationship between the number of crimes committed in death penalty states and the number of crimes committed in non-death penalty states. In a 1986 poll 70% of Americans favored the death penalty as a punishment for murder. Studies show that there is no relation between crime rates with death penalty states and crimes rates without. The homicide rates in Michigan, Ohio and Illinois rise and fall along with Wisconsin. Of course, hiring more police officers will cost a lot of money, but that will only be temporary. Since the death penalty has no effect on the deteration of crime, what does? New York lowered crime rates by putting more police officers on the street, not by longer jail terms or death penalty. It holds no promise for suppressing the drug trade, and may even be counterproductive" (Franklin E. During that year there were 47 murders. 19 per 100,000 people, the lowest in 15 years. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1991 World Almanac and Book of Facts 1998 Mahwah, NJ: world Almanac and Book of Facts, 1997. In the United States alone there have been 4047 executions since 1930, and 188 were from 1977-1996.
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