Capital Punishment raises quantifiable objections because the Death Penalty is morally, ethically and economically questionable.
Capital Punishment is actually not a moral deterrent because there are no proven direct correlations in studies between patterns in executions and the steady rate of crime; after execution, the murder rate has actually been proven to substantially increase rather than decrease; and children in the U.S. do not witness capital executions and thus, do not benefit from viewing the punishment event. The Death Penalty is unethically utilized discriminatorily against minorities, the poor and uneducated. Capital Punishment consumes more economic resources in the event of a capital trial than life term incarceration while diverting funds from much needed social programs used to attack crime before it begins.
Pro Death Penalty advocates argue that "whoso sheddeth man's blood by man shall his blood be shed" (Genesis 9:6 KJV) and that this fear of punishment will create an effective consciousness within those considering committing a serious felony murder in that they will know what they are doing and be forced to sacrifice their own life for their thievery of someone else's. They propose that use of Capital Punishment creates an atmosphere of decreasing criminal activity, especially criminal ventures sporting murder.
Studies completed within the last 20 years indicate that the fear of Capital Punishment is NOT a deterrent. Examinations of the effect of executions on murder in the state of Texas were conducted "based on the speculation that if a deterrent effect were to exist, it would be found in Texas because of the high number of death sentences and executions within the state." (Sorenson, Wrinkle, Brewer & Marquart, 1999) The study was directed utilizing patterns in executions for the study period (1984-1997) and the steady rate of murders committed within the state of Texas. No deterrent effect wa...