Capital Punishment

13 Pages 3241 Words

to be committed because the criminal thinks they are too clever to be caught. Most capital crimes are committed in the heat of the moment during times of great emotional trauma or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, when logical thinking is in no doubt absent (NCADP). In such cases, persons will commit a crime of violence regardless of the consequences. The majority of the evidence shows that the death penalty is in no way more effective in deterring murder than life imprisonment. Evidence of past use of the death penalty establishes reasonable doubt that the death penalty does not deter murder, and there is no evidence to prove otherwise. In a thorough report on the effects of criminal sanctions on crime rates, the National Academy of Sciences concluded that it is misleading to justify the use of capital punishment on such "fragile" and "uncertain" results (NCADP). Moreover, there are clinically documented cases that reveal the death penalty actually provoked the capital crimes it was intended to prevent (NCADP) Including cases involving the so-called "suicide by execution syndrome" in which a person who wants to die but fears taking their own life will commit murder so that the state will execute them. The use of the death penalty obviously guarantees that the criminal will never commit another crime, for the murderer is dead, but, there is no evidence that capital punishment deters another individual from committing murder (Glover 139). Furthermore, it is a high moral price to pay when studies have proven that few convicted murderers commit further crimes of violence. An alternative, one that is far less inhumane, is a policy of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole (Glover 139). It is commonly reported that Americans approve of the death penalty. But, more careful analysis of the attitudes of the public shows that Americans prefer alternatives (Smart). In fact, they would oppose the death penalty if convicted mur...