Comments on: Death penalty no deterrent to murder

By: Dudley Sharp

Dudley Sharp — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:25:25 +0000

The Donahue and Wolfers criticism has been strongly rebutted.

16 recent US studies, inclusive of their defenses, find a deterrent effect of the death penalty.

All the studies which have not found a deterrent effect of the death penalty have refused to say that it does not deter some. The studies finding for deterrence state such. Confusion arises when people think that a simple comparison of murder rates and executions, or the lack thereof, can tell the tale of deterrence. It cannot.

Both high and low murder rates are found within death penalty and non death penalty jurisdictions, be it Singapore, South Africa, Sweden or Japan, or the US states of Michigan and Delaware. Many factors are involved in such evaluations. Reason and common sense tell us that it would be remarkable to find that the most severe criminal sanction — execution — deterred none. No one is foolish enough to suggest that the potential for negative consequences does not deter the behavior of some. Therefore, regardless of jurisdiction, having the death penalty will always be an added deterrent to murders, over and above any lesser punishments.

By: M. W. Madzura

M. W. Madzura — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 23:22:57 +0000

Recently, a colleague produced a 2003 study concluding that the death penalty had deterrent effects. Of course, recent studies suggest otherwise, for reasons that turn on not only the justice question but also the brutalization effects, both before, during, and after the commission of the murder. Indeed, people charged with murder, by and large, have background experiences that predispose them to a sort of caloused approach to questions of life. In quite a few cases, they live brutalized existences prior to the tragic events. This is consistent with what researchers have uncovered when they look at street crimes. In the corporate suites, a different dynamic may be operating. I wonder how we assess the murders committed by corporate thugs, for instance, via toxis dumping and other such environmentally (human) destructive processes? Any deterrence here? In any event, supporters of the death penalty have no problem cottoning onto illogical and contradictory stances. they suffer no pangs of guilt while thousands of people are brutally murdered by, sometimes, their own governments. Otherwise how does one account for the shame that is Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, renditions, water boarding, etc.?

By: Silvia

Silvia — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:29:56 +0000

I find this article very interesting because I have always questioned whether capital punishment was a deterrence to murder or any other crime. I am glad that the article points out the fact that statistically it can be proven that states such as Texas have higher capital punishment rates but their murder rates are also higher. It is also a good point to make that the neighboring states may also be affected by the rates of capital punishment of their neighbors. In my opinion I think that if capital punishment does deter crime as some experts would argue, it deters in very small amount. More so though I believe that in those states that the death penalty is not so common there is a lower murder rate, that would make me believe that the deterrence is not significant enough to keep allowing for the death penalty in any state.

By: Michael Mears

Michael Mears — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:05:43 +0000

This article is quite good! The rebuttal to the “academics” assertion that statistics “prove” that the death penalty is a deterrent certainly validates Mark Twain’s assertion about the efficacy of statistics. In fact, a strong case can be made that the existence of the death penalty can actually put more people at risk (particularly police officers) because of the “life or death” decision to eliminate witnesses. The National Association of Police Chiefs certainly agree that the existence of the death penalty creates a greater risk to police officers in those states which use the death penalty as opposed to those states which do not have the death penalty.

By: randy

randy — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:36:41 +0000

nicely put mr. blankenship…

By: Michael Blankenship

Michael Blankenship — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 14:57:33 +0000

I (as have others) suggest that it may not be accurate to claim that the death penalty offers no deterrence. Death sentences may provide some level of deterrence, but probably not at the levels claimed by certain economists (thank you for a well written review of this subject!). Anyone interested in this topic is encouraged to review the excellent work of Ruth Peterson and William Bailey. The valid research has suggested that there is no statistically significant difference between capital punishment and life in prison in terms of deterrence. The latter is also reversible and costs far less.