The Place of Capital Punishment in the United States
Capital punishment is too costly as it is controversial and a divisive issue that then if it does not help in saving lives then it should not exist. But the question that many often seek to resolve is whether the penalty can help in saving lives. To understand this issue, it would need a closer look at the facts. There are some that feel that question of whether the penalty deters murder should be argued out from a theory. The theory presented is that this punishment is one of the worst and thus it should eventually reduce the number of killings. However, in looking at this contention, it is evident that much of the complexity that exists in the modern death penalty might be missing out. It is hard to understand whether the idea that one would face the death penalty might force one to avoid committing such crimes. Secondly, the operation of the death penalty has often been so costly since the cases take quite a long time and several legal appeals.
There is a suggestion by theorist that life imprisonment seems to be less costly. The proponents of this view argue that it is cheaper to lock someone up instead of locking them and paying for layers for many years to defend this individual. Such cases might even take decades, and within this time the lawyers have to get paid to debate whether the sentence should be imposed. There are some that take the view that the lengthy appeals are just a burden that is needless and should be jettisoned in that the penalty can be administered faster and in a cheaper way. In a research Chancellor, et al. (2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay) sought to look at the rates of death sentences and the number of murders in different states. In this research, it emerged that of the 25 countries that had the highest number of murder cases, 20 of them had the death sentences. Besides of the 25 states that had a lower rate of murder 11 did not have the death sentence (Sunstein & Vermeule, 2005). The information thus seems to paint such a confusing picture of the role of the death sentence and the reduction of the number of murders. There is a need to investigate the role of these sentences and whether they have an impact in reducing the number of murder cases. Despite the various arguments on the issue, the death sentence does not seem to deter instances of murder.
Capital Punishment in the United States
Evidence shows that murder is common in states that have capital punishment. The question that one might seem to ask is whether there is a relationship between capital punishment and the cases of murder in these states. On the contrary, there is clear evidence that paints the picture that crime is lower in countries that do not have the capital punishment. This data reflects information from 1973 to 1984 (Mocan & Gittings, 2003). In such countries, there is no deterrence although some have argued that there might be other factors that cloud act as a deterrence apart from the death sentence. However, it is essential to understand that cases of homicide are affected by several aspects. Therefore, in trying to understand the issue of capital punishment, it might be important to separate it from other variables (Shepherd 2004). However, in this case, the focus is to look at capital punishment and rates of murder. From the data present, it is clear that in the states where the penalty exists there are still higher rates of homicide. Therefore it can be inferred that it does not play any role in reducing these cases.
Lack of evidence
There is no any evidence that has ever shown capital punishment acts as a deterrent to murder. The data is similar when looking at this issue both in Canada and the United States. There is no case where the adoption of the punishment has led to lower incidents of homicide. From the analysis that was done by the National academy of science panel, in 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service. Custom Essay Services Cheap, there was a unanimous agreement that no credible evidence that shows that capital punishment reduces homicide (Bohm, 2016: 2024 – Do my homework – Help write my assignment online). From the understanding of the criminal justice system, one might not be surprised by the lack of deterrence. For one to get the death penalty, one must have committed an extremely heinous crime. The idea is evidenced by the fact that just in the year 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay there were over 14000 murders yet out of these only 35 executions took place (Bohm, 2016: 2024 – Do my homework – Help write my assignment online). Murderers often put themselves into so much risk and the idea that the death penalty might take a long time to come might not deter one that is sophisticated to committing a crime. The life imprisonment would hurt the criminal much more than the execution. The criminal that thinks he would be caught would feel that the prospect of being found and life without parole might seem too troubling.
On the other hand, a criminal that thought he could not be caught would not be troubled by any of the sanction. However, one thing that seems clear is that the criminals do not have a fear of a death sentence since they know they would still appeal and live well for many years as the wait for the execution. Therefore the death sentence does not seem to scare them off.
The death sentence is merely a waste of resources. The best way to deal with the issue of murder would be to use the funds to develop strategies that might help in reducing crime. For the past three decades, the cases of murder that has resulted in the arrest and conviction have gone down. It seems like only half the homicides are punished. One thing that seems familiar is that the numbers of detention based on murder have reduced (Reckless, 2017). It is important to mention that it is not that the cases of homicide have decreased. It is just there have been few convictions over these years (Robert & Thomas, 2016: 2024 – Do my homework – Help write my assignment online). Therefore, the resources that the justice department has to use in convicting an individual for murder could be redirected and thus help to arrest more people. These resources would help in reducing the killings from the streets.
From the statistics of the death sentence in the state of California, one can get an understanding of how costly and wasteful it can be. For the past 35 years, the state of California has spent about $4 billion to execute 13 people (Bohm, 2016: 2024 – Do my homework – Help write my assignment online). 4 billion dollars is a lot of money, and if it could have been used in other areas, then it could have a positive impact on society. From an economic point of view $4 billion can employ about 80,000 police officers, and if they are assigned appropriately, they can prevent about 466 murders and other crimes (Reckless, 2017). The question that society should ask is whether it makes sense to spend such amount on 13 people or spend it in a way that can benefit 1000 families (Reckless, 2017). The clear evidence that seems to emerge here is that the death penalty is so costly and only leads to wastage of resources that could have been used in other measures that are more productive in dealing with crime. Just in the summer of 2015 – Research Paper Writing Help Service a judge in California ruled that the punishment is not constitutional since it does not serve any legitimate penological interests. From this view, one might agree that time has come to look at the issue and understand that it does not have any place in society.
Proponents of the death penalty
Some recent studies on capital punishment have used the economic theory to present some analytical perspective and evidence that support the idea that offenders would often respond to incentives and in this case punishment and that the enforcement of the law deters specifics crime (McCafferty, 2017). Even the individuals that are opposed to the capital sentence have never offered analytical evidence that shows the contrary to the idea that punishment deters crimes. Scholar has often argued that if the death penalty can prevent an individual from committing murder, then it should be the best way that can be used in the reduction of crime (McCafferty, 2017). For the proponents, the focus of this death penalty is not the pain that is caused to the individual that dies but rather the continuance. The idea that one might have to lose their lives and never get the chance to see or interact with their families again makes others to fear the concept and thus engage less in criminal activities. However, some have also argued that the idea of death as a deterrent might not work for everyone (McCafferty, 2017). Some individuals still look at death with fascination and as a way to get out of their misery. Therefore, while others might focus on this as a deterrent, other hardcore criminals might be fascinated with the idea of ending their suffering. However, scholars still argue that there is still a small number that dares to face death, and thus it could still be a practical approach in dealing with murder.
Apart from the idea that capital punishment focuses on deterrent the proponents have also tried to highlight the aspect of rehabilitation. Most of the capital punishment offenders spend their time before the execution to express remorse and at time communicate a profound spiritual reformation (Hochkammer, 2017). While the death sentence does not rehabilitate the people and bring them back to society, it might seem like a way to bring people to understand their wrongdoing. In looking at the way the people tend to be remorseful, it might be a way to tell others that the things that did were not right and others should not take the same path. When these people speak to their close friends and their family members, they would often seek to tell them that the idea of coming to a crime that would lead to a death sentence is not a good thing (Hochkammer, 2017). Therefore, the concept of a death sentence is not focused on the individuals that have to face execution but the others that remain behind. Just the fact that the process often drains and makes them come back to their senses and reconcile with their mistakes can be enough reason that can make other people never to think of engaging in something that can lead them to the same path. For some, they have argued that it helps them to escape punishment in the next life. The death sentence gives them a change to appetite the evil deeds and thus escape the penalty in the afterlife. However, it is important to mention that the focus of capital punishment is not the afterlife.
Another argument that people tend to present for the idea of capital punishment is that it prevents one from re-offending. That is individuals that have been sentenced cannot further crimes. There are some that think that this is not a justification for the taking one’s life and try to argue that there are others way that can ensure that an individual does not engage again in the same crime (Hans et al., 2015 – Research Paper Writing Help Service). They argue that the imprisonment without parole might even be better. However, these people often tend to forget that there are individuals that have escaped from prison and killed again. There is the view that the life imprisonment without parole does not protect the society adequately. The individuals might seem not to be a danger to the community, but they might remain to be a danger to the prison start and other inmates. Therefore the best solution is to ensure that the threat is removed through an execution.
There is also the Japanese argument on the role of capital punishment and how it helps to deter people from committing a crime. Many people tend to argue that it is a quirky one. The Japanese use the death penalty sparingly and execute about three prisoners every year. The Japanese psychologists say that it has an important role to play in the life of the Japanese. They argue that it reinforces the idea that bad things happen to the people that deserve it (Alesina & La Ferrara, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). And on the contrary, good things happen to the ones that do good things. The capital punishment thus seeks to reinforce the idea that as much as one is doing something right, they are guaranteed of getting some reward.
On the other hand, the ones that are engaging in the wrong things would also get paid for their actions. It is surprising that the argument is something that most of the Japanese support. About 81 percent of the population agrees to this argument.
Conclusion
In looking at the issue of capital punishment and the impact on deterrence, many people have sought to present their argument based on the economic and the ethical perspectives. From an economic standpoint, it has been argued that the idea does not offer any respite to society and only leads to a lot of wastage. The cost that is used to try a murder case is quite high. In most cases, the prosecution would take a long time and several appeals. During this period it is often common for the public to spend a lot of money first in hiring the layers and advocates for these individual and secondly for keeping them in prison. At the end of the process, it has always been shown the process might cost too much that the money could have been used to carry out other activities. The opponents of the idea have consistently demonstrated that the money could be redirected to other means of preventing crime than capital punishment.
The second argument has always focused on the ethical perspective of taking one’s life. Opponents of the death sentence argue that no one should have the right to take another person’s life (Dezhbakhsh et al., 2003). They further say that it is not acceptable to take one’s life, on the basis that the life taken would stop others from committing a crime. They argue that it would be better to give such people a life sentence rather than a death sentence.
However, in looking at all these arguments, it seems clear that the death sentence does not offer a lasting solution to the issue of murder. No clear evidence points to the role of deterring other people from engaging in the same crime. Therefore, supporters of the argument might try to justify the various reasons that the death punishment should exist but they fail to provide reasonable grounds that can support their view. It only seems clear, that capital punishment only leads to waste of resources but does not by any chance lead to the reduction of capital crimes. The idea has emerged clearly, by looking at the state that has the capital punishment. Since they were adopted there has never developed clear evidence that the rates of murder have ever reduced. In fact, in some cases, the rates have gone up. Therefore the clear conclusion is that capital punishment does not deter murder.
References
Dezhbakhsh, H., Rubin, P. H., & Shepherd, J. M. (2003). Does capital punishment have a deterrent effect? New evidence from post-moratorium panel data. American Law and Economics Review, 5(2), 344-376.
Shepherd, J. M. (2004). Murders of passion, execution delays, and the deterrence of capital punishment. The Journal of Legal Studies, 33(2), 283-321.
Sunstein, C. R., & Vermeule, A. (2005). Is capital punishment morally required? Acts, omissions, and life-life tradeoffs. Stanford Law Review, 703-750.
Mocan, H. N., & Gittings, R. K. (2003). Getting off death row: Commuted sentences and the deterrent effect of capital punishment. The Journal of Law and Economics, 46(2), 453-478.
Bohm, R. M. (2016: 2024 – Do my homework – Help write my assignment online). Deathquest: An introduction to the theory and practice of capital punishment in the United States. Routledge.
Reckless, W. C. (2017). The use of the death penalty: a factual statement. In Capital Punishment (pp. 38-62). Routledge.
McCafferty, J. A. (2017). Capital punishment. Routledge.
Hochkammer, W. O. (2017). The capital punishment controversy. In Capital Punishment (pp. 65-84). Routledge.
Hans, V. P., Blume, J. H., Eisenberg, T., Hritz, A. C., Johnson, S. L., Royer, C. E., & Wells, M. T. (2015 – Research Paper Writing Help Service). The Death Penalty: Should the Judge or the Jury Decide Who Dies?. Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, 12(1), 70-99.
Alesina, A., & La Ferrara, E. (2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). A test of racial bias in capital sentencing. American Economic Review, 104(11), 3397-3433.
Robert C. Thomas U. (2016: 2024 – Do my homework – Help write my assignment online). Berkeley Law Berkeley Law Scholarship Repository Law and Economics, 6th edition
