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Deterrence
The last 20 years, the homicide rate in states with the death penalty has
been 48 percent to 101 percent higher than in states without the death penalty.
FBI data showed that 10 of the 12 states without capital punishment have
homicide rates below the national average.
The threat of execution at some future date is unlikely to enter the minds
of killers acting under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, or who are in the
grip of fear or rage, or who are panicking while committing another crime (such
as a robbery), or who suffer from mental illness or mental retardation and do
not fully understand the gravity of their crime. Likewise, children and young
people are less likely to reflect upon or genuinely comprehend the consequences
of their actions.
Recent studies cast further doubt that the death penalty has any deterrent
effect. Rather, these studies found support for the theory that the death penalty
has a brutalizing effect.
- An examination of homicides in Los Angeles before and after the execution
of Robert Harris in 1992, California's first execution in 25 years, revealed slight
increases in homicides during the eight months following Harris' execution.
- A comparison of murder rates and rates of sub-types of murder (felony-murder;
stranger robbery-related murder; stranger non-felony murder; argument-related
murder) in Oklahoma between 1989 and 1991 uncovered no evidence of a deterrent
effect. Researchers did find a significant increase in stranger killings (both
felony and non-felony) after Oklahoma resumed executions after a 25-year moratorium.
- Researchers Keith Harries and Derral Cheatwood studied differences in homicides
in 293 counties that were paired based on factors such as geographic location
and demographic and economic variables. The pairs shared a contiguous border,
but differed on use of capital punishment. The authors found no support for a
deterrent effect. They did find higher violent crime rates in death penalty counties.
"I have inquired for most of my adult life about studies that might show
that the death penalty is a deterrent. And I have not seen any research that would
substantiate that point."
- Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, January 2000
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Activists demonstrate
against the execution of Gary Graham in Huntsville, Texas, June 22, 2000.
(© Scott Langley) |
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