Does capital punishment actually work?

Susan S

There are numerous practical problems with the death penalty. It is not an effective way to prevent or reduce crime and it risks executing innocent people.

Many people who answered your question confuse deterrence with preventing recidivism (also called incapacitation.)

Here are answers to questions about the practical aspects of the system. The sources are listed below.

What about the risk of executing innocent people?
124 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence.

Doesn't DNA keep new cases like these from happening?
DNA is available in less than 10% of all homicides. It is not a guarantee against the execution of innocent people.

Doesn't the death penalty prevent others from committing murder?
No reputable study shows the death penalty to be a deterrent. To be a deterrent a punishment must be sure and swift. The death penalty is neither. Homicide rates are higher in states that have it than in states that do not.

So, what are the alternatives?
Life without parole is now on the books in 48 states. It means what it says. It is sure and swift and rarely appealed. Life without parole is less expensive than the death penalty. Like the death penalty, life without parole incapacitates a criminal.

But isn't the death penalty cheaper than keeping criminals in prison?
The death penalty costs much more than life in prison, largely because of the legal process. Extra costs include those due to the complicated nature of both the pre trial investigation and of the trials (involving 2 separate stages, mandated by the Supreme Court) in death penalty cases and subsequent appeals. There are more cost effective ways to prevent and control crime.

What about the very worst crimes?
The death penalty isnâ€™t reserved for the â€œworst of the worst,â€ but rather for defendants with the worst lawyers. When is the last time a wealthy person was sentenced to death, let alone executed??

Doesn't the death penalty help families of murder victims?
Not necessarily. Murder victim family members across the country argue that the drawn-out death penalty process is painful for them and that life without parole is an appropriate alternative.

So, why don't we speed up the process?
Over 50 of the innocent people released from death row had already served over a decade. If the process is speeded up we are sure to execute an innocent person.

But donâ€™t Americans prefer the death penalty as the most serious punishment?
Not any more. People are rethinking their views, given the facts and the records on innocent people sentenced to death. According to a Gallup Poll, in 2006, 47% of all Americans prefer capital punishment while 48% prefer life without parole. Americans are learning about the system and we are making up our minds based on facts, not eye for an eye sound bites.

Is murder non-existent in all countries where capital punishment exists? Has drug trafficking and dealing disappeared as a scourge in places like China and S.E. Asia?

It's ultimately all about revenge - deterrence has nothing to do
with it.

Had to laugh a few weeks' back when some idiot on here stated that capital punishment would act as a good deterrent to would-be suicide bombers...

Korky

a big yes, but more importantly it helps the victims family and friends to cope with there loss,and feel that a little bit of Justis has been served

Since you ask.

Of course it works. Show me one crime ever committed by anyone who was already executed.

It's fairly final isn't it?

Yes it could be seen as society's revenge.

this question doesn't have any categorical right answer in my opinion.

Andy C

Sometimes to kill fear one must kill the cause of fear.
For those touched by such horror - to see the cause of fear removed from thier lives, this may be required. or risk leaving them in trauma.

For those that may consider us to be better than them, by our choices yes, perhaps wecould be judged so. By the possibilty of choice no, for by thiers they have limited ours to one way or the other for better treatment of all - our choices have been limited to removing thier lives - by incarceration or death. We all breath the same air - we would be as bad as them to let them walk free, and as bad as them to take action. Or would we? the key to me appears to be what motivates -they are motivated by twisted desires, we are motivated by desire to be safe again. Any course of action taken is better than none.

To abandon the victim, or to abondon the one who seeks to make victims, and at such a degree of horror. I know which I would think was justice.

Unfortunatly its not that clear cut. our justice systems dont holdto the romance we would be sold as children, innocent people do sometimes become our victims by mistake.

It is a hard road. And a hard justice, with no return from mistakes. And one that may make the victims of horror, fear worse, and worse may make them feel guilty as society has exacted a revenge and attempt to safeguard them and us, and made a cruel mistake.

It is revenge, yes. It is justice - when the victim can start to feel safe again. And then I rember justice is made of two words.
say it slowly and you can hear it. Just Is. It just is.whne you look at a situation, what just is, and what should it be, what is the closest most responsible thing should be do to return those bak to safety - so they now live in a reasonable just is.
To argue that locking them away would work - I would say not for all - such is the state of horror, the very point they still live breath fear to those that survive, this person is still alive, for them this monster. They might get out. not likely, but true all the same. Fear is not about whats likely - its about whats possible in the most horrific sense - the inversion of hope.

So whats fair? So whats Justice? this whole thing Just is- and thats natural. No matter which way you go you run a risk or a certainty. Keep the those alive that have been proven to do the most horrific and you may be certain that the victims have been abandoned, and the rest to as we now pay for their crimes (we pay to keep them dont we). However kill them and risk making victims of their friends and familys. And them as its worst point of interevention.

If you think you can make a clean cut choice there - Im not sure I envy you. For I cant - but I can understnad the perspectives.

old fuzz

Once you execute the murder, he does not harm anyone ever again. Works for me. . .

Depends on your goals.

That felon does not reoffend. And on occation it give the victim and the victim's family a sense fo justice. And it is an ultimiate punshiment.

However, it is not effective as a deterent. Most to the time the victim does feel the expected sense of justice or closure.

Chipmunk

Well it certainly doesn't work as a deterrent - look at America, and specifically Texas, and you can see that the murder rate is as high as ever, even with capital punishment in place. I don't believe in capital punishment, but I do believe that life should mean life, particularly for premeditated murder and acts of paedophilia.

And in answer to your second point, yes it is revenge, and it makes us no better than them.

TheOrange Evil

If the goal of capital punishment is to execute people convicted of capital crimes, then I'd say it works.

Rekless

If it is for horrific crimes then I agree with the other guys. No repeat offence, gets em off our streets otherwise they would be back out among us in 20 years. Revenge and justice I say. Lets face it, it costs the taxpayers, no idea how much, to look after these gits whereas if we hang them...

elsie

No i don't think it does work. It is revenge not justice. The innocent people who already have been executed have already proved that.

Its just wrong and should stop completely- everywhere.

rab333

It appears to work because offenders never seem to re-offend....

zanthus

Of course it works. Some sick f u c k who rapes and kills someone or a bunch or people in the end gets murdered.

Sounds like justice to me.

Albert arrrrrrrrggh

I used to think it was a bad thing - two wrongs don't make a right and so on, but I must admit I'd be in favour of bringing it back now. If you take a life deliberately, society should no longer tolerate your existance. Perhaps society has a right to take revenge?

Paul Anthony F

Yes it gets rid of the scum . I think if you had a referendum I think people would vote for a lot of things to be a hanging offence a lot more in deeed than when hanging was ''' Fashionable ''

lulu

Only if they convict the right person

203

Well there seems to be no shortage of people on death row in the USA. Maybe it is not quite the ultimate deterrant some would like to think it is.

Amha G

I mean there are a lot of people who commit henious crimes around the globe........like mass murderers. these kind of people really deserve capital punishment. I would say it works in many countries.

Capital punishment works. If only you could read the mind of a criminal facing capital punishment, you will know that it works.The issue is simple, avoid any crime that will fetch you capital punishment, if you are hell bent on committing crime.

Kammi S

The people that die no longer commit crimes. So, it works when it is applied.

ADILALMAN G

If you have irrefutable proof that the person did the crime then capital punishment does the trick for me every time.

The Joker

To some extent, capital punishment does work. Not always. For example, I'm sure someone has decided not to commit a certain crime because of the knowledge that there would be a seriously consequence such as life in prison or capital punishment. In my opinion, i believe capital punishment should be reserved for serial killers/mass murderers. It may seem hypocritical for us to say killing is illegal while we have capital punishment, but i guess one could say that if someone is willing to take the lives of others then for our own protection, we must take action. Good question.

theunknownstuntman

Well it has a zero rate of re-offending so you do the maths

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