Is death penalty the answer to curb criminality especially crimes as heinous as rape and murder?
No – the death penalty is not a deterrent to violent crime. In fact, murder rates are consistently HIGHER in death penalty jurisdictions (see chart below). This may seem counterintuitive, and there are many theories about why this is (Ted Bundy craved the publicity, 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 processes involved, it costs taxpayers MUCH more to execute someone than to imprison them for life) – every extra dollar spent 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 people.
