Texas, who has the highest execution rate, is used to determine whether or not the executions in this state are effective in deterrence of crime. Richard Dieter feels that the execution rate in Texas is a crisis (1994). Numerous offenders who have been sentenced to the death penalty have been later found innocent of the crimes they were accused of committing. The death warrants are signed so quickly that the investigations are not given a fair amount of consideration. During trials the corrupted prosecutors, unreliable medical “experts”, and perjured testimonies have led to false imprisonment of many people. Texas is not the only state that has these problems but it is the worse.
Zimmerman’s article summarizes the deterrence effect of each …show more content…
Snell displays a table that shows the possible capital offenses that can cause a person to be charged with capital punishment. A majority of the states punish first degree murder, capital murder, and aggravated murder with state execution (Snell, 2010). The United States Department of Health and Human Services defines homicide as a death caused by “an injury purposely inflicted by other persons” (Bailey, 1990). Hjalmarsson investigates whether or not felony homicides versus non- felony homicides have a better deterrence effect (2012). The study shows that the probability of a variation in the murder rate is dependent on the timing of the execution. The homicide rate can change if the execution is days surrounding the incident. Monthly data is more accurate and useful than annual data. Hjalmarsson agrees with Bailey that executions only deter potential murder when the execution are made known to the public (2012).
Literature Review
To evaluate the effectiveness of capital punishment numerous reports and articles have been analyzed over the years. In order for the deterrence effect to be present there must be a decline in the murder rates of states that utilize executions to punish offenders found guilty of crimes. These articles describe a need for publicity of the executions to actually deter potential crime in the future. There is also …show more content…
Siennick article “Deterrence and the Death Penalty: A New Look at Some Recent Findings”, it is expected that potential murderers weigh the benefits and costs of killing before committing the act, which is the meaning of deterrence (2012). The threat of execution should change the decision to not killing the person. Texas has the highest number of executions since the Gregg v. Georgia ruling which has led to the belief that Texas seems to defy the findings of the deterrent effect. The Gregg v. Georgia was a Supreme Court case that took place in 1976 which restored capital punishment. Thirty-four years later in 2010 the United States had approximately 8,000 people on death row and only executed about 1,200 of the
Zimmerman’s article summarizes the deterrence effect of each …show more content…
Snell displays a table that shows the possible capital offenses that can cause a person to be charged with capital punishment. A majority of the states punish first degree murder, capital murder, and aggravated murder with state execution (Snell, 2010). The United States Department of Health and Human Services defines homicide as a death caused by “an injury purposely inflicted by other persons” (Bailey, 1990). Hjalmarsson investigates whether or not felony homicides versus non- felony homicides have a better deterrence effect (2012). The study shows that the probability of a variation in the murder rate is dependent on the timing of the execution. The homicide rate can change if the execution is days surrounding the incident. Monthly data is more accurate and useful than annual data. Hjalmarsson agrees with Bailey that executions only deter potential murder when the execution are made known to the public (2012).
Literature Review
To evaluate the effectiveness of capital punishment numerous reports and articles have been analyzed over the years. In order for the deterrence effect to be present there must be a decline in the murder rates of states that utilize executions to punish offenders found guilty of crimes. These articles describe a need for publicity of the executions to actually deter potential crime in the future. There is also …show more content…
Siennick article “Deterrence and the Death Penalty: A New Look at Some Recent Findings”, it is expected that potential murderers weigh the benefits and costs of killing before committing the act, which is the meaning of deterrence (2012). The threat of execution should change the decision to not killing the person. Texas has the highest number of executions since the Gregg v. Georgia ruling which has led to the belief that Texas seems to defy the findings of the deterrent effect. The Gregg v. Georgia was a Supreme Court case that took place in 1976 which restored capital punishment. Thirty-four years later in 2010 the United States had approximately 8,000 people on death row and only executed about 1,200 of the