The Death Penalty and Deterrence - 2964 Words

The Death Penalty and Deterrence The death penalty deters criminals, even more so than life imprisonment. A common question asked by many professionals today is â€Å"Do death penalty executions deter criminals?† This is usually followed by asking if it deters better than a life imprisonment term. The process of punishing these criminals for their crimes will make other would-be felony committers think twice about doing it. A way to better stop these crimes would be to make states automatically execute death row inmates after they have been imprisoned for at least a year and no new evidence has been found in their case. Using harsher executions methods such as hangings, firing squads, or electric chairs would increase the deterrent effect even further. My reason for dealing with this issue is because I believe that the effectiveness of the death penalty is an important issue that must be addressed. I can not personally attest to the effectiveness because I have had no interaction with the death penalty, but I still believe in its effectiveness. The rate of executions in death penalty states is incredibly low which puts strain on the prisons, state workers, and the momentary aspects of the general population. Criminals who get put on death row also stay on it for many years and this causes a decrease in the deterrent effect of the death penalty. Increasing the rate of these executions would help increase the effective stopping power of the capital punishment again. ImplementingShow MoreRelatedThe Deterrence Of Death Penalty1160 Words   |  5 PagesThe Deterrence of Death Penalty in Texas Almost a month ago, I accidently came across the Stanford Prison Experiment documentary, which is available to view on Youtube. The document based on real event in Stanford University. It is an experiment to study psychology of imprisonment on prisoners and guards by dividing selected Stanford students into two groups. As the time passed, the researchers have discovered some drastically changes in both groups within days. At the end, Dr. Philip ZimbardoRead MoreDeterrence And The Death Penalty3425 Words   |  14 PagesRunning head: Deterrence and the Deterrence and the Death Penalty Sherelle Gordon Virginia State University Deterrence and the Death Penalty The idea of capital punishment deterring crime is difficult to determine; some could rationalize that the death penalty should in theory stop potential murders from committing crimes. However, this rationalization has never been concretely proven. The research into capital punishment’s effect on deterrence is immense; however, the majorityRead MoreEssay on Death Penalty and Deterrence3532 Words   |  15 Pages Death Penalty and Deterrence Ever since the beginning of time man has committed crimes. Crimes were described as acts which go against the social and moral norms of society and people. People have learned to deal with these crimes in many different ways. One of the most used forms of dealing with crime is punishing those who commit crimes. There are numerous ways in which people have punished those who commit crimes throughout history from making the criminal pay fines to banishing them fromRead MoreThe Death Penalty : A Method Of Crime Deterrence1292 Words   |  6 Pages2015 The Death Penalty Capital punishment often referred to as the death penalty has been used as a method of crime deterrence since the earliest societies it has been a controversial position amongst lawmakers for centuries. Capital punishment does not deter crime; instead, it encourages it. Today, only thirty-two states still use the death penalty because they believe that a state with the death penalty has higher murder rates than states without it (â€Å"States With and Without the Death Penalty†). MostRead MoreDeterrence Is The Primary Source When Defining Criminal Law1549 Words   |  7 PagesDeterrence is the primary source when defining criminal law. According to dictionary.com deterrence â€Å"is a law that was passed that includes the breakdown of punishments and uses then as fear tactics; to disappoint individual criminal defendants from becoming reappearance offenders and to discourage others in society from engaging in similar criminal activity.’ (Dictionary 1). Deterrence work in two ways; large population and the punishment of wrongdoers. Deterrence is aimed at the individual; onceRead MoreThe Death Penalty Should Not Be Used1467 Words   |  6 PagesThe Right to Life: Executing the Death Penalty The death penalty is a punishment given to people who commit heinous crimes. Since 1976, there have been over 1,390 executions. But does that make the death penalty, necessarily, a correct and justifiable form of punishment? â€Å"The death penalty is our harshest punishment,† states Ernest van den Haag, author of â€Å"The Ultimate Punishment: a Defense.† Van den Haag, in his article, argues how the death penalty is effective and should be used. However, JackRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is The Ultimate Punishment882 Words   |  4 PagesLlamas Curtis Becker Comp 1 03 October 2017 The death penalty The death penalty is the ultimate punishment. There is no harsher punishment than death itself. This nation, the United States of America, is currently one of fifty-eight nations that practice the death penalty, if one commits first-degree murder as of 2012. People that believe in the death penalty also believe that it will deter murders. In this paper I will argue that the death penalty does not deter criminals and that this nation shouldRead MoreThe Ineffectiveness Of The Death Penalty892 Words   |  4 Pages The Ineffectiveness of the Death Penalty People want to feel safe wherever they go, whether it is in their family’s,friend’s or even an acquaintance’s home, and shopping malls, hotels or wherever others go and not be scared by others. Often there are crimes every day and many fear that they don’t want to be involved in it. Often criminals appear nonchalant about what happens to them no matter what they did and their crimes. They don’t seem scared. The death penalty is ineffective at deterring andRead MoreIdentify And Describe The Three Elements Of Deterrence Case Study743 Words   |  3 Pages27-29, 2015). 2. Identify and describe the three elements of deterrence. Which of the three do you think has the most important impact on deterring individuals from committing crimes? Which of the three do you think has the least impact? Explain your response. The three elements of deterrence are Celerity (Swiftness), Certainty, and severity. Celerity also known as Swiftness of punishment is defined as one of the key elements of deterrence; as the assumption is that the faster punishment occurs afterRead MoreReasons For The Death Penalty1741 Words   |  7 Pages Reasons to Preserve the Death Penalty Imagine you are watching the evening news. How would you feel when you find out that they have found the remains of 10 bodies at the farm two doors down the road? It seems that the neighbors have been killing people for quite some time. Would you have ever known they were murderers? Ten lives have been taken from this world and never to return, what would you want from the government if you found out one of those remains was someone very dear to you that