This document presents arguments for and against the death penalty on various issues. Proponents argue the death penalty deters murders, removes dangerous criminals from society, and is supported by the public. Opponents counter that the death penalty is cruel punishment, risks executing the innocent, and is more expensive than life imprisonment. Both sides agree no innocent person should be executed, and there is no consensus on whether the death penalty deters crimes.

1. Is the Death Penalty a
Deterrent to Murder?

2. Capital Punishment
 PRO  OPPOSED
 The process of lethal  Death by the state is a
injection does not cause violation of the 8th
cruel or unusual amendment, which
punishment. The first states that no cruel or
injection renders the unusual punishment
offender unconscious, shall be inflicted.
the second paralyzes the
offender, and the third
injection stops the
offenders heart.

3. Statistics
 PRO  OPPOSED
 Data from 3,000 counties  According to the Death
between the years of Penalty Information
1977-1996, show that Center, Non-Death
with each execution, 18 Penalty states have an
murders are deterred. almost 25% lower
Resulting in 1.5 less murder rate than their
murder of Blacks, 1.0 less counterpart.
murder of Whites and .5
less murder of Others
(Muhilhausen, David. 6-27-07)

4. Proactive Verse Reactive
 PRO  OPPOSED
 The belief that the death  Since 1973, 141 people
penalty will remove have been released from
heinous criminals from the death row with
society and prevent them evidence of their
from committing future innocence. Death is a
murders. certainty that cannot be
reversed at a later time
(Staff. Deathpenaltyinfo.org).

5. Decisions
 PRO  OPPOSED
 The fact that the electric  Offenders do not think
chair deters more murders about the DP when
than lethal injection, committing murders.
proves that criminals do in Murders are usually crimes
fact weigh the of passion, influenced by
consequences of their alcohol/drugs, or because
actions. of mental illness. People
with the intent to kill do
not plan on being caught,
so they do not rationalize
the DP.

6. Cost of the Death Penalty
 PRO  OPPOSED
 Family and friends of the  On average a DP case
victim find that cost cost almost 48% more
should not be a factor in than a case seeking life
determining the fate of imprisonment. Court
the offender. Justice for motions and post
the victim should be conviction appeals
death and not the ability account for majority of
to live a full life in prison. the extra cost (Staff.
Deathpenaltyinfo.org).

7. Conviction to Death
 PRO  OPPOSED
 The ultimate sentencing  The average stay on
is the DP and offenders death row is a decade but
should have to pay their has been known to
debt to society. surpass 20 years. Some
see this as two forms of
punishment, first is
death itself and second
is the uncertainty of
when they will be
executed.

8. Survey of People
 PRO  OPPOSED
 According to Gallup’s  The Death Penalty is the
2003 survey, 2/3 of ultimate violation of
Americans are in favor of human rights by the
the Death Penalty. state. The DP is the
certainty of death
without recourse.

9. Guilty Verse Not-Guilty
 PRO  OPPOSED
 The DP gives the  Plea bargaining opens
prosecution a bargaining the window for false
chip to gain guilty confessions in fear of
convictions in weaker receiving the Death
cases that otherwise Penalty.
could end in no
conviction at all.

10. Summary
 The common ground that both side agree on, is that
no innocent person should ever be put to death.
 There is no set of hard facts that prove that the Death
Penalty does or does not deter future murders.
 There’s no disputing that being on death row is not a
swift action. Most individuals on death row spend at
least 10 years waiting to be executed.
 The facts I came across state that the Death Penalty is
used for a deterrent, but I suspect that the Death
Penalty is more for retribution.

11. References:
 Carroll, Joseph. “Who supports the Death Penalty.” The Gallup
Organization, November 16, 2004.
 http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/gallup-poll-who-supports-
death-penalty
 Muhlhausen, David B. PH.D. “The Death Penalty Deters Crime
and Saves Lives.” The Heritage Foundation, Leadership for
America. August 28, 2007
 http://www.heritage.org/research/testimony/the-death-penalty-
deters-crime-and-saves-lives
 Robert Weisberg, JD, PhD, Edwin E. Huddleson, Jr., "The Death
Penalty Meets Social Science: Deterrence and Jury Behavior
Under New Scrutiny,“December 2005.
 http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=0
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