Would the re-introduction of capital punishment reduce the crime rate in the United Kingdom?
No. Capital punishment has never been shown to be a deterrent. In fact, there is considerable evidence that it has the opposite effect. Take a look at the chart below – in the U.S., death penalty states have consistently HIGHER murder rates (per 100,000 population) than non-DP states. Nobody knows exactly why this is, but there are many theories. Some studies have proposed a “brutalizing effect,” wherein people (consciously or not) follow the government’s lead in assuming that killing someone is indeed a valid solution to a problem. In one high-profile case, we know that Ted Bundy craved the publicity of a capital 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
