Search

The article presents the results of a study which examined the deterrent effect of capital punishment in the U.S. The deterrent effect of capital punishment remains a topic of contentious debate. Advocates of the deterrence thesis maintain that the death penalty acts as an effective deterrent because individuals are free-will actors who rationally weigh the probable benefits and potential liabilities before engaging in criminal activities. Another important facet of the deterrence theory is that the threat of punishment must be communicated to the populace. The state's sanctioning of criminal offenders serves as an example to those who have not yet committed a crime, instilling in them sufficient fear to deter them from partaking in illegal activities. However, despite plausibility of the deterrence thesis, many social scientists are still unconvinced that capital punishment deters people from committing murder. The threat of the death penalty, especially when the likelihood of execution is extremely small, is not seen as having the same motivating power as the offender's desires at the moment of the crime. Some also argue that executions escalate violence levels in society by devaluing human life and by legitimizing lethal violence.