Capital Punishment
Author: Ryan Shorb
Mrs. Bailey
Whenever the word "capital punishment" comes up, extremists from both sides start yelling out their arguments. One side says deterrence, and the other side says capital punishment is not fair. Three of the most controversial points of capital punishment are: The deterrent effect of capital punishment, fairness with capital punishment, and Cost of the Death Penalty.
The people who are against capital punishment say the death penalty is not an effective deterrent to crime. They believe using the death penalty as a deterrent to crime is like trying to knock down a brick wall with a rubber mallet. Their studies show that murder rates are lower in states that have abolished the death penalty. In 1990, there was an average of 5.0 homicides per 100,000 population in states that had abolished the death penalty. In death penalty states without executions, the homicide rate was 6.0 per 100,000. The highest rates were in death penalty states with executions: 9.7 homicides per 100,000. The people who are pro death penalty say this is because states have differences. These differences include, the populations, and nuraber of cities. Strongly urbanized states are more likely to have higher crime rates than states that are more rural, such as those who lack capital punishment. They say states that have the death penalty have it because of their high crime rate, not because they have the death penalty. During the temporary suspension on capital punishment from 1972-1776, researchers gathered murder statistics across the country. Researcher Karl Spence of Texas A&M University came up with these statistics: In 1960, there were 56 executions in the USA and 9,140 murders. By 1964, when there were only 15 executions, the nuraber of murders had risen to 9,250. In 1969, there were no executions and 14,590 murders. In 1975, the nuraber of murders grew to 20,510.
Another heated argument about capital punishment is fairness. People who are against capital punishment say the death penalty never has and never will be applied fairly across race, class, and sex lines. Studies show nearly half of those on death row are people of color. Whites and people of color are victims of murder in about equal proportions, over 83% of those executed since 1977 were convicted of killing whites. Approximately 20,000 murders are committed in the U.S. each year. Of those, about 200 result in death sentences. Those sentenced to die are not necessarily those whose crimes are the most atrocious. Instead, they tend to be people of color poor people, and those whose victim’s are white. Those who favor the death penalty say it is not racist or unfair. Pro death penalty activist Ernest van den Hasy said,
"Murder has no color, class, or IQ. A murderer is a
murderer. When a loved one is killed, I doubt anyone
could take comfort in the fact that the perpetrator had
a low IQ, was black instead of white, or poor instead
of rich,"(Lowe).
A 1991 Rand Corporation study by Stephen Klein found that white murderers received the death penalty slightly more often (32%) than non-white murders (27%). And while the study found murders of white victims received the death penalty more often (32%) than murders of non-white victims (23%), when controlled for variables, such as, severity and nuraber of crimes committed, there is no disparity between those sentenced to death for killing white or Black victims. Phil Martin, a political science major, and a college professor at OPSU said,
"I do not believe the death penalty is racist. Most
people on death row do get a fair trail,"(Martin).
One other argument that causes a lot of tension is, cost of the death penalty. People who do not believe in the death penalty say the death penalty is not now, nor never has been, a more economical alternative to life imprisonment. A study by the NY State Defenders Association showed that the cost of a capital trail alone is more than double the cost of life imprisonment. Florida has spent an average of $3.2 million for each person it has executed since 1972. Texas spenRAB an average of $2 million per case that has gone through all levels of appeal. The cost of execution Ted Bundy was a perplexing $6 million dollars. The huge mountains of money that have been spent to executed people are unbelievable. People who are for the death penalty say the cost of capital punishment is not more expensive when compared to an equivalent life imprisonment case. If the prisoner goes to a maximum security prison, as a person charged with the death penalty would do, it would cost $75,000 per year for an average of 50 years. Using the death penalty an inmate will spend an average of 6 years' incarceration verses 50 years projected incarceration for life imprisonment. The risk that a violent inmate will escape is much less with the death penalty. They also say if the death penalty is abolished, abolitionists will turn to eliminate life imprisonment as well and will drive the appeals costs higher than death penalty appeals since there is no execution to end the process of a life imprisonment prisoner.
When you hear the details to both sides of an argument, sometimes it is very hard to decide who is right. That is definitely the case with capital punishment. There is really no way to determine whose facts are the most accurate. I am not sure if capital punishment is a deterrent to crime, or if it is fair, and I am not sure exactly how much it costs.
Works Cited
Lowe, Wesley. "Racism and Capital Punishment." Wesley Lowe’s Pro Death Penalty Webpage. (18 Apr. 1999)
Martin, Phil. Personal interview. 20 Apr. 1999
Whenever the word death penalty comes up, people from both sides start shouting out their argument. One side says, deterrance, retribution, and justice. The other side says, Chance of executing an innocent man, It's unfair, and it costs too much.
Author: Ryan Shorb
Mrs. Bailey
Whenever the word "capital punishment" comes up, extremists from both sides start yelling out their arguments. One side says deterrence, and the other side says capital punishment is not fair. Three of the most controversial points of capital punishment are: The deterrent effect of capital punishment, fairness with capital punishment, and Cost of the Death Penalty.
The people who are against capital punishment say the death penalty is not an effective deterrent to crime. They believe using the death penalty as a deterrent to crime is like trying to knock down a brick wall with a rubber mallet. Their studies show that murder rates are lower in states that have abolished the death penalty. In 1990, there was an average of 5.0 homicides per 100,000 population in states that had abolished the death penalty. In death penalty states without executions, the homicide rate was 6.0 per 100,000. The highest rates were in death penalty states with executions: 9.7 homicides per 100,000. The people who are pro death penalty say this is because states have differences. These differences include, the populations, and nuraber of cities. Strongly urbanized states are more likely to have higher crime rates than states that are more rural, such as those who lack capital punishment. They say states that have the death penalty have it because of their high crime rate, not because they have the death penalty. During the temporary suspension on capital punishment from 1972-1776, researchers gathered murder statistics across the country. Researcher Karl Spence of Texas A&M University came up with these statistics: In 1960, there were 56 executions in the USA and 9,140 murders. By 1964, when there were only 15 executions, the nuraber of murders had risen to 9,250. In 1969, there were no executions and 14,590 murders. In 1975, the nuraber of murders grew to 20,510.
Another heated argument about capital punishment is fairness. People who are against capital punishment say the death penalty never has and never will be applied fairly across race, class, and sex lines. Studies show nearly half of those on death row are people of color. Whites and people of color are victims of murder in about equal proportions, over 83% of those executed since 1977 were convicted of killing whites. Approximately 20,000 murders are committed in the U.S. each year. Of those, about 200 result in death sentences. Those sentenced to die are not necessarily those whose crimes are the most atrocious. Instead, they tend to be people of color poor people, and those whose victim’s are white. Those who favor the death penalty say it is not racist or unfair. Pro death penalty activist Ernest van den Hasy said,
"Murder has no color, class, or IQ. A murderer is a
murderer. When a loved one is killed, I doubt anyone
could take comfort in the fact that the perpetrator had
a low IQ, was black instead of white, or poor instead
of rich,"(Lowe).
A 1991 Rand Corporation study by Stephen Klein found that white murderers received the death penalty slightly more often (32%) than non-white murders (27%). And while the study found murders of white victims received the death penalty more often (32%) than murders of non-white victims (23%), when controlled for variables, such as, severity and nuraber of crimes committed, there is no disparity between those sentenced to death for killing white or Black victims. Phil Martin, a political science major, and a college professor at OPSU said,
"I do not believe the death penalty is racist. Most
people on death row do get a fair trail,"(Martin).
One other argument that causes a lot of tension is, cost of the death penalty. People who do not believe in the death penalty say the death penalty is not now, nor never has been, a more economical alternative to life imprisonment. A study by the NY State Defenders Association showed that the cost of a capital trail alone is more than double the cost of life imprisonment. Florida has spent an average of $3.2 million for each person it has executed since 1972. Texas spenRAB an average of $2 million per case that has gone through all levels of appeal. The cost of execution Ted Bundy was a perplexing $6 million dollars. The huge mountains of money that have been spent to executed people are unbelievable. People who are for the death penalty say the cost of capital punishment is not more expensive when compared to an equivalent life imprisonment case. If the prisoner goes to a maximum security prison, as a person charged with the death penalty would do, it would cost $75,000 per year for an average of 50 years. Using the death penalty an inmate will spend an average of 6 years' incarceration verses 50 years projected incarceration for life imprisonment. The risk that a violent inmate will escape is much less with the death penalty. They also say if the death penalty is abolished, abolitionists will turn to eliminate life imprisonment as well and will drive the appeals costs higher than death penalty appeals since there is no execution to end the process of a life imprisonment prisoner.
When you hear the details to both sides of an argument, sometimes it is very hard to decide who is right. That is definitely the case with capital punishment. There is really no way to determine whose facts are the most accurate. I am not sure if capital punishment is a deterrent to crime, or if it is fair, and I am not sure exactly how much it costs.
Works Cited
Lowe, Wesley. "Racism and Capital Punishment." Wesley Lowe’s Pro Death Penalty Webpage. (18 Apr. 1999)
Martin, Phil. Personal interview. 20 Apr. 1999
Whenever the word death penalty comes up, people from both sides start shouting out their argument. One side says, deterrance, retribution, and justice. The other side says, Chance of executing an innocent man, It's unfair, and it costs too much.