The number of violent crimes has risen in Britain and continues to rise. Don we need the death penalty to deter killers?
A. The rise in violent crime began before the abolition of the death penalty and can not, therefore, be attributed to it. Capital punishment does not act as an effective deterrent. Numerous studies have been commissioned by pro and anti campaigners; none has provided any evidence that the existence of the death penalty acts as an effective deterrent. In the United States, where some states have the death penalty and others do not, there is no significant difference in their murder rates.
