How does the death penalty deter murders?

[EC]

How does the death penalty deter murders?

The type of murders follow:

Because they like it: Death penalty will not deter them, because they like it...once they kill they will just keep killing since if they are caught, they'll only die once...and they are psychopaths, they don't care.

While committing a crime: This type doesn't really want to kill, but will if they feel threatened. My guess is they will either keep killing because they can only die once, or they will feel guilty if they have a conscience and off themselves.

Gangs: These guys are so used to violence, death is an everyday possibility, so it wouldn't matter to them, since they live with it anyway. (It's going to happen, only question is when)

Crimes of Passion: This type will not even consider the death penalty since they are not thinking clearly -they are in the throes of passion after all.

Mothers or Fathers that kill their kids and spouses: This type usually says "God told them to do it" so, any penalty isn't even in their minds...

The only ones who even think of it are people like us, who just wouldn't do it in the first place...So, how does the death penalty deter murders? Am I missing something? Is it all flawed thinking or are there some that just get off on it?

[NNadir]

1. All murderers check the number of executions before committing crimes.

Execution eliminates murder. This is why there are no murders in Texas.

[trixie]

2. it doesn't

It creates a society where there is an argument for pro-killings.

[Kipling]

3. It doesn't, and nobody seriously thinks it does.

Whether it can form a suitable punishment is a different matter (I say no).

[mrcheerful]

4. Same thinking in every law

problem is laws won't be followed unless the person agrees with the law. Punishment rarely is ever thought of for breaking laws and besides they are to smart to get caught. This time.

[Midlodemocrat]

5. It doesn't. If it did, the state would have stopped after the first

execution.

[central scrutinizer]

6. it doesn't

it is all about blood atonement and revenge, er, I meant closure.

[seabeyond]

7. study shows eliminate death penalty murder goes down.

implement death penalty murder goes up. promotion of death, violence begets violence

i havent been on any of these threads, this isnt my fight. but death penalty escalates not deters murder. death penalty is eye for eye, revenge only

yet,.... the argument eye for eye is wrong because it is

eye for eye
tooth for tooth
vengence is mine sayth the lord

and.....

i figure murder one innocent person, and death penalty should be abolished... and we have mrudered the innocent. there is no justification for murdering the innocent even in mistake

[prescole]

8. Once a killer has been executed, he can't kill again. That's deterrence.nt

[seabeyond]

9. that is revenge. deterence is for them to not murder in first place

because of repercussion. death

[comradebillyboy]

21. actual the recidivism rate among those who are executed

is very low. They are deterred from killing anyone else.

sadly, it appears that some innocent people do get executed. that, in my view, is the main objection to the death penalty.

[no_hypocrisy]

10. That thesis is so weak that I'm surprised that there aren't more mass

murders.

Deterence is on the backburner of planning to murder another person. As mentioned in the above posts, there are more pressing issues the murderer considers.

And if a would-be murderer stops to thinks about the potential consequences of his/her act (if s/he gets caught, tried, and convicted), it's easy to see how the perp would figure, "Hey, they can only kill me once." And with that in mind, I'm surprised that if they're OK with the punishment that the more ambitious subset of murderers doesn't make a list of everyone they don't like and go for visits (one punishment for 1+ crimes seems like a bargain to a criminal mind).

[zbdent]

11. Let's see, we've put to death 1000 people who murdered someone

put that up against the number of actual murders in this country . . .

Hmm, I don't see a correlation between the Death Penalty and deterring murders . . .

[Zynx]

15. Since 1976 I would venture 20,000 people have been murdered each

year on average. It's lower now, but there were years where we got close to 35,000. So 29 years x 20,000 is 580,000.

The most convincing evidence for me is that in states without the death penalty, the murder rate is lower.

[China_cat]

12. It doesn't. Never has.

It's purely and simply revenge.

[Left Is Write]

13. It doesn't.

It hasn't, doesn't, and won't.

[WinkyDink]

14. This argument is specious.

NO penalty has EVER stopped ANY crime from being replicated!
The purpose is, of course, not rehabilitation; it is retribution.

[Johonny]

16. That's because

people that commit crimes do not expect to be caught. Thus penalties associated with their actions do not deter them.

[bloom]

17. The murders that it stops

(assuming that the person would have gotten life in prison) - are murders that the murderer would be doing in prison or intimidating someone else into doing on the outside.

Gang members (like in the Aryan Brotherhood) are know to do this - are the cause of many of the murders in prison and some outside of it.


That seems like the best argument for someone getting the death penalty - not having someone have life in prison - is if the person is determined to keep murdering regardless.

[incapsulated]

18. It was never meant to

Since the dawn of common law, revenge was it's main purpose and it still is.

I'm hoping we can evolve beyond this one day.

[goodhue]

19. It doesn't

[Lefty48197]

20. I don't think it does

The actual numbers are out there. Miami sometimes gains the unenviable title of "murder capital of the natioin", even though Florida is a death penalty state. Apparently that doesn't deter people who commit murders in Florida, Texas...