Hold Up Your Own Bandwagon...

8 Pages 1877 Words

ifetime before the crime of murder was committed. Although the argument may sound reasonable, in reality the death penalty fails as a deterrent.
First, the punishment can only be a useful deterrent if it is rational and immediately used (Washington). Capital punishment cannot meet those conditions. The number of first-degree murderers who are sentenced to death is small, and of this small group, an even smaller number of convicted murderers are executed (Washington). Moreover, the possibility of increasing the number of convicted murderers sentenced to death and executed by requiring mandatory death sentences was declared unconstitutional in 1976 (National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty). Murder and other crimes of violence are not always premeditated. Gang violence, kidnapping for ransom, and drive-by shootings will continue to occur because criminals have it set in their mind that the are too clever to get caught. Capital crimes on the other hand usually occur during times of great emotional trauma or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, when logical thinking is altered. In those type cases a person will commit the crime of violence regardless of the consequences. The death penalty is no more deterrent than having life in prison.
In a thorough report on the effects of criminal sanctions on crime rates, the National Academy of Sciences conclude that it is misleading to justify the use of capital punishment on such “fragile” and “uncertain” results (NCADP). There are also clinically documented cases that r...