How does capital punishment deter criminals?
there is proof that in some societies capital punishment as will as corporal punishment (caning/whipping/beating) work better than jailing. This is true because people who break the law and get whipped will naturally associate breaking the law with pain, much like if you were to zap a dog for barking or walking off. Often the punishment occurs once in a short time and is forgotten about unlike jailing which gives the person time to get more angry about the law and ultimately could lead to the person committing a crime again. Also the people in prison are all criminals and keeping criminals together can increase anger and lead to more issues that increase crime rate after release. Capital punishment, if done correctly, and swiftly and not take 30 years like in the US keeps criminals from committing a crime because of fear of the unknown. If a criminal has already been to jail (which many go several times) he may not care as much if he killed someone because he has been to jail and does
Susan is right – the death penalty has never been a deterrent. In fact, there is strong evidence that it has the opposite effect. See the chart below – death penalty states have consistently HIGHER murder rates than non-DP states. Nobody knows exactly why this is, but there are many theories. In one high-profile case, we know that Ted Bundy craved the publicity of a death penalty trial, so he chose Florida (the most active execution state at the time) to carry out his final murder spree. It is probably due, at least in part, to the high cost (because of the legal apparatus designed to minimize wrongful executions, it costs taxpayers MUCH more to execute someone than to imprison them for life). Every extra dollar spent (wasted) on capital punishment is one that’s NOT going to police departments, drug treatment programs, education, and other government services that help prevent crime. Personally, I think it also has to do with the hypocrisy of taking a stand against murder…by killing pe
