Capital Punishment Deters Murder, And Is Just Retribution

Capital Punishment Deters Murder, and Is Just Retribution


       Capital punishment, is the execution of criminals by the state, for

committing crimes, regarded so heinous, that this is the only acceptable

punishment.  Capital punishment does not only lower the murder rate, but it's

value as retribution alone is a good reason for handing out death sentences.

Support for the death penalty in the U.S. has risen to an average of 80%

according to an article written by Richard Worsnop, entitled "Death penalty

debate centres on Retribution", this figure is slightly lower in Canada where

support for the death penalty is at 72% of the population over 18 years of age,

as stated in article by Kirk Makir, in the March 26, 1987 edition of the Globe

and Mail, titled "B.C. MPs split on Death Penalty".

       The death penalty deters murder by putting the fear of death into would

be killers.  A person is less likely to do something, if he or she thinks that

harm will come to him.  Another way the death penalty deters murder, is the fact

that if the killer is dead, he will not be able to kill again.

       Most supporters of the death penalty feel that offenders should be

punished for their crimes, and that it does not matter whether it will deter the

crime rate.  Supporters of the death penalty are in favour of making examples

out of offenders, and that the threat of death will be enough to deter the crime

rate, but the crime rate is irrelevant.

       According to Isaac Ehrlich's study, published on April 16, 1976, eight

murders are deterred for each execution that is carried out in the U.S.A.  He

goes on to say, "If one execution of a guilty capital murderer deters the murder

of one innocent life, the execution is justified."  To most supporters of the

death penalty, like Ehrlich, if even 1 life is saved, for countless executions

of the guilty, it is a good reason for the death penalty.  The theory that

society engages in murder when executing the guilty, is considered invalid by

most supporters, including Ehrlich.  He feels that execution of convicted

offenders expresses the great value society places on innocent life.

       Isaac Ehrlich goes on to state that racism is also a point used by death

penalty advocates.  We will use the U.S. as examples, since we can not look at

the inmates on death row in Canada, because their are laws in Canada that state

that crime statistics can not be based on race, also the fact that there are no

inmates on death row in Canada. In the U.S. 16 out of 1000 whites arrested for

murder are sentenced to death, while 12 of 1000 blacks arrested for murder were

sentenced to death.  1.1% of black inmates on death row were executed, while

1.7% of white inmates will die.

       Another cry for racism, as according to Ehrlich, that is raised by

advocates of the death penalty is based on the colour of the victim, for example

"if the victim is white, it is more likely that the offender will get the death

penalty than if the victim had been black".  This is true, if you look at the

actual number of people who are murder.  More people kill whites and get the

death penalty, then people who kill blacks and get the death penalty.  The

reason for this is that more whites are killed, and the murders captured.  Now

if we look at the number of blacks killed it is a lot less, but you have to look

at these numbers proportionately.  Percent wise it is almost the same number for

any race, so this is not the issue.

       In a 1986 study done by Professor Stephen K. Layson of the University of

North Carolina, the conclusions made by Ehrilich were updated, and showed to be

a little on the low side as far as the deterrence factor of capital punishment.

Professor Layson found that 18 murders were deterred by each execution is the

U.S.  He also found that executions i
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