Ernest J. Gaines A Lesson Before Dying

"A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest J. Gaines has changed my opinion on the death penalty. Before reading the book I believed capital punishment was not a good form of criminal punishment because it did not deter crime. After researching capital punishment I now believe that capital punishment sets an example for others not to commit crime because they will receive the same punishment. "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest J. Gaines, is about a man who is being persecuted for a crime that he did not commit. Jefferson was at the wrong place at the wrong time and now is being put on trial for the murder of three men. Gaines describes Jefferson was an innocent bystander who did nothing wrong, but because he is poor black man no one will believe him. He is tried and convicted of murder and was sentenced to death. Gaines then introduces Grant Wiggins into the story who is an educated man that teaches on a
Ron Fridell states, "The basic principles of deterrence are that punishments are necessary to deter crime and encourage law abiding behavior. Punishment must also fit the crime with more serious crimes requiring more serious punishments. (61) I agree with the author because capital punishment serves as a device to discourage certain forms of behavior by making the consequences of these actions unpleasant. Capital punishment is acceptable under those terms and it is necessity to the betterment of society. Micheal Kronwetter said, "No other punishment deters men so effectively…as the punishment of death."(19) As an example, murder peaked in 1990 with 2,200 deaths, when New York did not have the death penalty. In 1997, when capital punishment was reinstated the murders for the year totaled 767. Deterrence obviously worked in relation to these crimes. There seems to be a direct relationship between deterrence and the effects of capital