The Realities of the Death Penalty

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By Gabby Ciraolo

People often question whether or not the death penalty is a justified means of punishment. The answer to this question depends entirely on what you believe the punishment should accomplish. Retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, and incapacitation are the four purposes of punishment. Retribution--otherwise known as revenge--and deterrence--built around the idea that punishment is more painful than a crime is pleasurable--are the two forms of punishment most often brought up when discussing the death penalty.

 

It is a widely held belief that the only adequate punishment for murder is capital punishment--many people believe that retribution is justice. A study conducted by Professor Beckett at the University of Washington found that jurors in Washington state are 3x more likely to recommend a death sentence for a black defendant than they would for a white defendant in a similar case. Additionally, a study in California discovered that people found guilty of killing a white person were more than 3x likely to be sentenced to death as those convicted of killing a black person. Regardless of whether or not you believe retribution is a moral purpose of punishment, it is clear that the death penalty is not handed out equally. And it is not just to disproportionately hand down a decision as final as the death penalty.

 

The other purpose of punishment pertinent to discussing the death penalty is deterrence. Many people believe that the possibility of receiving capital punishment will prevent people from committing murder. However, homicide rates are often higher in states that have the death penalty, than in states that do not. For example, the state of Louisiana has the highest murder rate in the country, all while being one of 27 states to continue using the death penalty. Also, this argument assumes that all murders are premeditated. When in fact a large portion of murders is crimes of passion or spur-of-the-moment killings. Thus, deterrence does not apply to these cases.

 

https://documents.deathpenaltyinfo.org/pdf/FactSheet.pdf

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/murder-rate-by-state

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