Pro Capital Punishment Essay Research Paper Pro

Pro Capital Punishment Essay, Research Paper

Pro Capital Punishment One of the main arguments for capital punishment is that it deters murder. Economist Stephen K. Layson did a 1985 study showing that, on average, every execution of a murderer deters 18 murders. This study also showed that by raising the number of death sentences by 1 percent, 105 murders would be prevented. These cases support the thought that capital punishment deters murder. On January 17, 1977, Gary Gilmore was executed by a firing squad. Before his execution (1976) there had been 55 murders in the state. After Gilmore’s execution in 1977 murders decreased 20 percent to 44 murders. Ten years later, Pierre Dale Shelby was executed. The rate of murders dropped from 4.75 monthly before his execution to 4.0 monthly after his execution. These statistics taken by Karl Spence show that the number of murders grows as the number of executions shrink. In 1960, there were 56 executions and 9,140 murders. In 1964 the number of executions dropped to 15. The number of murders increased to 9,250. In 1969, there were no executions and the number of murders was 14,590. Finally in 1975 after six years with no executions, 20,510 murders occurred. Spence stated “While some [death penalty] abolitionists try to face down the results of their disastrous experiment and still argue to the contrary, the [data] concludes that a substantial deterrent effect has been observed. In six months, more Americans are murdered than have killed by execution in this entire century. Until we begin to fight crime in earnest [by using the death penalty], every person who dies at a criminal’s hands is a victim of our inaction”

Some people state that Life without the possibility of parole is better than the death penalty. In prison, criminals can still commit murder. Including the murder of guards, and other prisoners. They can also kill if they escape. Dawud Mu’Min was serving a sentence for the murder of a cab driver. He escaped from a road work gang and killed a store clerk in a robbery, where he made four dollars. Those are two of the main reasons people are in favor of capital punishment. Below is an illustration for someone who is in favor of capital punishment.