According to about a dozen recent studies, executions save lives. For every inmate put to death, about 3 to 18 murders are prevented. According to some of these studies, this effect can be most seen in
While I am not completely surprised by what is found in the studies, I feel that this definitely complicates the ethical debate surrounding the death penalty. I have always opposed the death penalty, yet with more money going to overcrowded prisons than to schools and with this new statistic, I find that I might be quite confused about the stance I should take regarding this issue. Is it truly worth it to spare one life at the risk of 3 to 18 others?
7 comments:
Personally, I have always leaned toward being in favor of the death penalty for severe cases. The new statistics make a lot of sense, and I think that it would be better to execute one guilty person rather than have many innocent people. The only consern I have is with the people who are framed or wrongly convicted. Those people would be killed for no reason, and the real killer would still be out there. What then?
Although it may be true that murders are prevented because of the death penalty, couldn't this also happen by sentencing them to life in prison. I've heard some other research saying that a large percentage of people who are sentenced to death were actually innocent of the crime they were convicted of. So is it really worth the risk of taking a possibly innocent life when we could just give them a life sentence?
I personally am in favor of the death penalties. I believe that people who have committed crimes probably will not change even after serving time in prison. Well.. that's my opinion. Anyways since we can save 3-18 more people by killing a prisoner.. I think it's better to just kill that person. Since.. 3-18 people is greater than only 1 person who we can save!! That's some powerful math knowledge I got. 3-18 > 1.
This statistic make no sense and should not be used to argue in favor of the death penalty. How can murder rate drop because people who are already in jail are executed. i find it highly hypocritical in states like Texas that are in favor of the death penalty yet are avidly opposed abortion.
The issue I have w/ the death penalty is that there is always a chance the person being executed is innocent(like Rochelle said), in addition to the fact that it's pretty hypocritical to condemn someone for murder... then kill them.
This site has different stats on the death penalty(comparing states w/ the death penalty and states w/o it)
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?&did=1705#stateswithvwithout
First of all, I think that the death penalty and abortion are two very different issues. One addresses the appropriate penalty to an illegal act, the other is about aborting a fetus. They're different.
I'm not sure exactly how I feel about the death penalty. Like Angela, I do believe that it is hypocritical to kill someone as a penalty for killing someone. At the same time, I acknowledge the statistic about saving murders, as people with life sentences could potentially be let out of jail (it also happens the other way around--guilty people being let off). The big clincher for me is that I personally don't the idea of paying tax dollars to keep some criminal alive in jail for life. I don't know I'm torn.
I dont understand this statistic at all. why would having the death penalty lower homicides when these people who would if there was no death penalty would get life and no probation. i feel that this is one of those random facts that people find to try and help make a case for something when it has no effect on it.
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