Studies say death penalty deters crime:
Let me repeat that in case you missed it. It says that studies show that the death penalty deters crime. That’s funny, because I’ve been hearing for years from certain people that it’s not a deterrent and that it’s cheaper to house a convict for life then it is to execute them.
What gets little notice, however, is a series of academic studies over the last half-dozen years that claim to settle a once hotly debated argument — whether the death penalty acts as a deterrent to murder. The analyses say yes. They count between three and 18 lives that would be saved by the execution of each convicted killer.
The reports have horrified death penalty opponents and several scientists, who vigorously question the data and its implications.
So far, the studies have had little impact on public policy. New Jersey’s commission on the death penalty this year dismissed the body of knowledge on deterrence as “inconclusive.”
Among the conclusions:
• Each execution deters an average of 18 murders, according to a 2003 nationwide study by professors at Emory University. (Other studies have estimated the deterred murders per execution at three, five and 14).
• The Illinois moratorium on executions in 2000 led to 150 additional homicides over four years following, according to a 2006 study by professors at the University of Houston.
• Speeding up executions would strengthen the deterrent effect. For every 2.75 years cut from time spent on death row, one murder would be prevented, according to a 2004 study by an Emory University professor.
Do you know why these studies are so quickly discounted? Because like most topics in our country today the death penalty debate has been reduced to a shouting match. When studies like these come out it’s almost like the death penalty opponents are sticking their fingers in their ears saying “la la la I’m not listening”. Not only that but since most of academia is controlled by people who tend to be against the death penalty it’s a wonder that these studies ever see the light of day at all.
And in my opinion if the death penalty wasn’t a deterrent then why are so many convicted killers on death row trying to get out of it?
(Crossposted at crimeblog.us.)
Sphere: Related Content
Entries (RSS)