Death Penalty

* Is the Death Penalty a Deterrent to Murder? * Capital Punishment * PRO * The process of lethal injection does not cause cruel or unusual punishment. The first injection renders the offender unconscious, the second paralyzes the offender, and the third injection stops the offenders heart. * OPPOSED * Death by the state is a violation of the 8th amendment, which states that no cruel or unusual punishment shall be inflicted. * Statistics * PRO * Data from 3,000 counties between the years of 1977-1996, show that with each execution, 18 murders are deterred. Resulting in 1.5 less murder of Blacks, 1.0 less murder of Whites and .5 less murder of Others (Muhilhausen, David. 6-27-07) * OPPOSED * According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Non-Death Penalty states have an almost 25% lower murder rate than their counterpart. * Proactive Verse Reactive * PRO * The belief that the death penalty will remove heinous criminals from society and prevent them from committing future murders. * OPPOSED * Since 1973, 141 people have been released from the death row with evidence of their innocence. Death is a certainty that cannot be reversed at a later time (Staff. Deathpenaltyinfo.org). * Decisions * PRO * The fact that the electric chair deters more murders than lethal injection, proves that criminals do in fact weigh the consequences of their actions. * OPPOSED * Offenders do not think about the DP when committing murders. Murders are usually crimes of passion, influenced by alcohol/drugs, or because of mental illness. People with the intent to kill do not plan on being caught, so they do not rationalize the DP. * Cost of the Death Penalty * PRO * Family and friends of the victim find that cost should not be a factor in determining the fate of the offender. Justice for the victim should be death and not the ability to live a full life in prison. * OPPOSED * On average

References: * Carroll, Joseph. “Who supports the Death Penalty.” The Gallup Organization, November 16, 2004. * http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/gallup-poll-who-supports-death-penalty * Muhlhausen, David B. PH.D. “The Death Penalty Deters Crime and Saves Lives.” The Heritage Foundation, Leadership for America. August 28, 2007 * http://www.heritage.org/research/testimony/the-death-penalty-deters-crime-and-saves-lives * Robert Weisberg, JD, PhD, Edwin E. Huddleson, Jr., "The Death Penalty Meets Social Science: Deterrence and Jury Behavior Under New Scrutiny,“December 2005. * http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000983