David Rhea

Research Paper

December 15, 2017

Should the Death Penalty be utilized?

In the United States today crime is a common factor in the way people in America live.

However, questioning has begun on whether or not capital punishment/death penalty is

legitimate. Now the real question is what is the most severe punishment a man or woman can

receive from committing any form of major crime in the United States. Proponents of the death

penalty argue that it deters crime, while opponents say that it is too risky, and has been known

to have had innocent people executed. As people in the United State battle back and forth

whether this should be banned in their states or banned in the United States as a whole. More

evidence has been brought to the public eye about the sides people have taken.

The death penalty dates back to the colonial times where it was first instituted. Although,

as time has continued, two major court cases have been fought over whether this punishment

was constitutional. The first court case, Furman Vs. Georgia, was used to address the

legitimacy of capital punishment and was ruled unconstitutional, violating the eighth amendment

of cruel and unusual punishment (“Is Capital Punishment Necessary”). As the judges and

members of the court voted in a 5-4 decision the use of any capital punishment was not used for

this time period. This court case was important as it played a role in how any other court case

was to be ruled. Close to four years later, another case Gregg Vs Georgia, the ruling of the first

case was reversed as it was said that the death penalty does not violate the eighth

amendments. If the jury in the case was able to review the case very well and find solid

evidence that the person was the one to have committed the crime, the person could be

released. If not the case was to be claimed as not legitimate and therefore, the death penalty
was not used. After these cases were concluded, states that now allow the death penalty is a

ratio of thirty-one to nineteen.

Allowing the death penalty to operate throughout the states comes with plenty benefits.

Having the idea that if one self should commit such a violent crime that they may be put to

death, keeps crimes at bay. People don't like the fact that they could be sentenced to die. A

recent study conducted by Michael Summers (Professor of Management Science at Pepperdine

University) and his teammates said, that to every execution that has happened 74 fewer

murders are carried out the next year (Capital Punishment Works, 2007). Knowing this

information, the seventy-four fewer murders that happened show that in fact crime rates have

dropped, showing execution is necessary. The article also said:

“… The study examined the relationship between the number of executions and the

number of murders in the U.S. for the 26-year period from 1979 to 2004, using data publicly

available FBI sources… There seems to be obvious negative correlation in that when

executions increase, murders decrease, and when executions decrease, murders increase…”

(Capital punishment works, 2007).

As more and more people are sentenced less crimes of such extreme magnitude are

committed. Following the two court cases when the death penalty was incorporated to the

justice system again, people were scared once more and crime rates were not as high. If in fact

people are scared of being put to death than the people who agree with the death penalty will

be pleased to know that it is proven to work. Another study was conducted by the same people

in which they tried to see if it was just a coincidence that crime rates were dropping at that time.

What they found though proved to be an extremely instrumental to prove the correlation.

Michael Summers and his team analyzed the 26-year relationship. They found that a .00005

level association was found that means the odds that what they stated earlier was random were

18,000 to 1(Capital Punishment Works, 2007). In a 1961 opinion poll the Las Angeles Police

Department released a file that stated would-be killers didn't want to risk capital punishment
(When Murder is Punished…,2017). A quote was also released by the same police department

regarding a fellow inmate saying, “Yeah, I cut him, I should have done a better job. I would have

killed him but i did not want to go to the gas chamber (When Murder is Punished…,2017).”

Another argument that was made saying that the death penalty executes too many

innocent people are misleading. The American Civil Liberties Union stated, executions are too

risky because people that haven’t committed the crime are at risk of being the ones put in the

chair. The ACLU however, is also responsible for making the prices checking to see if the

execution is correct and accurate (Death Penalty Opponents Dishonest, 2017). Therefore, by

adding to the price means that it is challenging to help the rate at which people who are

innocent are killed by the death penalty. If arguments like the one above is to be made saying

how the death penalty is not a good way to solve any sort of crime or put some ease on families

that have been affected by murder then those arguments are misleading.

In one article, it was also shown that having the death penalty legal in your state and it

being used is far less expensive than having to feed, clothe, and keep inmates locked away.

Having to keep inmates in prison can cost far more money than using just one lethal injection or

even the firing squad. Consider the costs in Maryland, people that were sentenced to death cost

taxpayers 3 million dollars. This is because they have to wait longer for a date. However, people

who were deterred from killing had saved taxpayers 1.9 million dollars. Knowing that they have

the chance of being put to death (Studies Confirm: Death Penalties…,2017). Information like

this just helps to reinforce the case that it does cost far less to just put a murderer down than

having the pleasure of them knowing they can't be killed if they are in a state where the death

penalty is not allowed.

Opponents of the death penalty have argued that it has shown no deterrent towards the

crime rate and that there is no substantial evidence to prove that is has deterred anything. A

Stanford law professor by the name of John Donohue stated that there is no evidence that

capital punishment reduces the rate of homicide in areas of the U.S. He stated that last year
14,00 murders occurred but only 35 executions took place(There’s no evidence that.., 2015).

Even though the death penalty is a consequence that many people don't want to face. John

Donohue is saying that not even the most sociopathic people like murderers care even remotely

of likelihood of them to be executed.

Another con is the fact that opponents believe that the likelihood of someone who is

innocent to be executed is greater than the actual likelihood of someone who isn't innocent.

According to an article posted by DeathPenaltyinfo.org, A total of 69 people have been released

from death row since 1973 after evidence of their innocence emerged. Twenty-one condemned

inmates have been released since 1993, including seven from the state of Illinois alone

(Innocence and Death Penalty, 1997). If people that have been accused of a murder and are

wrongfully tried by a court even though they did not commit the murder. They will be put to

death even without a chance of proving legitimacy. Since the government has the ability to use

the death penalty and take human life. An argument has been started saying that this gives

government too much power. Having the ability to take a life and maybe use it however the

government please strikes a bad cord with some people. In one article on DeathPenaltyinfo.org,

a man was in prison waiting out his days until he is supposed to be put in the chair(Killing

justice: Death Penalty…,1992). Towards the end of the line where he was about to die he was

released. His lawyers who were working without pay, had taken years to prove his innocence.

The government even had evidence in their possession that has showed he was innocent and

even had another man being the one who was thought to be guilty. This caused an uproar to

how much power the government should have in being able to take the lives of people and how

they were able to use this power.

Whether or not the death penalty is viewed as good in people's eyes, it still is legal in 31

states and will be for some time. While proponents of the death penalty argue that it deters

crime, opponents say that it is too risky, and has been known to have had innocent people

executed. The death penalty comes with many different pros and cons and they benefit as well
 as put people in a position to deny the usefulness and legitimacy of capital punishment. Many

other court cases are to follow in the coming years that will prove to play an important role

whether or not the death penalty shall continue to persist.

Works Cited

Frank, Marshall. “Ending Death Penalty Is Right in Every Possible Way.” Florida Today, 2017, p. A.6.

SIRS Issues Researcher, sks.sirs.com. Accessed 11 Dec. 2017.

Goldberg, Jonah. “Death Penalty Opponents Are Being Dishonest in Their Arguments.” Tribune

Content Agency, 2017, sks.sirs.com.

“Is Capital Punishment Neccessary .” Sirs.com, sks.sirs.com/webapp/leading-

issue?type=sub&keyno=003876.

Jacoby, Jeff. “When Murder Is Punished with Death, Fewer Criminals Will Murder.” Boston Globe,

2016, p. K.5. SIRS Issues Researcher, sks.sirs.com. Accessed 11 Dec. 2017.

Muhlhausen, David B. “Studies Confirm: Death Penalties Deter Many Murders at Far Less Cost.”

McClatchy - Tribune News Service, 2014. SIRS Issues Researcher, sks.sirs.com. Accessed 11

Dec. 2017.

“What's New.” DPIC | Death Penalty Information Center, 2011, deathpenaltyinfo.org/.