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S. holds a disproportionately large population of blacks relative to their general population. This is disproved by the Bureau of Justice Statistics report, which states: "since the death penalty was reinstated by the Supreme Court in 1976, white inmates have made up the majority of those under sentence of death." This is despite the fact that blacks committed 51.5% of the murders in the U.S. between 1976 and 1999 vs. 46.5% by the whites (Quoted by Eddlem, 2002).
Conclusion
In conclusion, it would be fair to say that the arguments put forwarded by the opponents of death penalty are neither based on solid reasons nor on verifiable facts. On the other hand, as we saw in this essay, capital punishment is an effective deterrent against serious crime, is morally justified, and is the only way to prevent murderers from repeating their crime. It is, therefore, appropriate that we should maintain the Death Penalty in the United States for serious crime.
References
Deterrence:...
Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved on September 26, 2006 at http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=12&did=168
Eddlem, T.R. (2002). "Ten Anti-Death Penalty Fallacies." The New American. Vol. 18, No. 11. June 3, 2002. Retrieved on September 26, 2006 at http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/2002/06-03-2002/vo18no11_fallacies.htm
Jacoby, J. (1998). "The Unjust Logic of Sparing Murderers." Boston Globe. August 1998. Retrieved on September 26, 2006 at http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/Jacoby2.htm
Lowe, W. (2006). Pro-Death Penalty Webpage. Retrieved on September 26, 2006 at http://www.wesleylowe.com/cp.html
Statement of Paul G. Cassell before the Committee on the Judiciary United States House of Representatives." (1993). Retrieved on September 26, 2006 at http://www.carmical.net/articles/TESthousehearing.htm
Zimmerman, P.R. (2002). "State Executions, Deterrence, and the Incidence of Murder." Social Science Research Network. Retrieved on September 26, 2006 at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=354680
Kenneth McDuff, for example, was convicted of murdering two boys and raping / killing a 16-year-old girl in 1966; he was released in 1989 and killed at least nine more times before he was finally caught and executed in 1998. (Lowe, 2006)
Capital Punishment
References
Deterrence: States Without the Death Penalty Fared Better Over Past Decade." (2006). Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved on September 26, 2006 at http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=12&did=168
Eddlem, T.R. (2002). "Ten Anti-Death Penalty Fallacies." The New American. Vol. 18, No. 11. June 3, 2002. Retrieved on September 26, 2006 at http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/2002/06-03-2002/vo18no11_fallacies.htm
Jacoby, J. (1998). "The Unjust Logic of Sparing Murderers." Boston Globe. August 1998. Retrieved on September 26, 2006 at http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/Jacoby2.htm
Lowe, W. (2006). Pro-Death Penalty Webpage. Retrieved on September 26, 2006 at http://www.wesleylowe.com/cp.html
Statement of Paul G. Cassell before the Committee on the Judiciary United States House of Representatives." (1993). Retrieved on September 26, 2006 at http://www.carmical.net/articles/TESthousehearing.htm
Zimmerman, P.R. (2002). "State Executions, Deterrence, and the Incidence of Murder." Social Science Research Network. Retrieved on September 26, 2006 at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=354680
Death Penalty Whether or not the death penalty should be utilized as a punishment for serious crimes is a contentious issue, one that is hotly debated throughout the world. In the past few decades the number of nations that sentence criminals to the death penalty has dramatically decreased, as more than two thirds of countries in the world have abolished the use of the death penalty in practice or law (Amnesty
It is important to note that though the victim's family also does suffer, the accused could be somebody's mother, father, spouse or even best friend. In such a case, it becomes hard for many to come to terms with death as a form of punishment for a loved one. Thus though capital punishment may be viewed as a symbol of justice by the victim's family as well as friends,
However, on the contradicting side, the question is "Can death penalty really deter criminals?." Several studies show it does not. An online source indicates the following evidences. From 1976 to 1996, the number of executions per year in the United States has increased from 0 to just under 60. The homicide rate per 100,000 population has remained constant at just under 10. Criminologists who belong to the American Society of Criminology,
The death penalty may exact a high cost but so does remaining behind bars for life imprisonment (Haag 1986). But righting wrongs in a society has a higher option than entailing the costs. Penalties are also acts of social retribution to restrain personal or private vengeance aimed at vindicating the law and social order, which has been injured or violated by a crime. Proponents or advocates of the death penalty
Death Penalty: Social Attitudes and Modern Alternatives The issue of the death penalty raises deep emotions on all sides of the debate. Many feel that the death penalty no longer holds value as a tool for society to prevent heinous crimes. In the past, the prevalence of the death penalty created a measure of deterrence on social behaviors. However, in modern life, there is no longer is a measurable deterrence felt
Death Penalty+ Annotated Bibliography It has been theorized and even proven that many laws that are in place in America are the product of JudeoChristian religious beliefs, practices and writings, that have over the years been toned down to better meet the needs and standards of the U.S. society. There is a clear sense that some penalties for breaking the law have little if any effect on crime committed in the