Statements below require citations and further discussion. Please cite the sources and locate an actual case that validates it. Also note that researchers do not “say” without a study; they provide research to validate their studies.
America’s penal system carries out more execution annually compared to other nations globally. The empirical studies on capital punishment’s deterrence effect are mixed. Meta-analysis suggests that the empirical evidence provided to date is too fragile and, therefore, can serve as a guide to policy decisions.
Despite employing econometric analysis for over forty years, the deterrent impact of capital punishment remains uncertain. As such, one can conclude that state-sanctioned deaths do not deter people from committing murder. Some researchers also say death penalty and murder deterrence share parallels with smoking and lung cancer. Both treat unusual occurrences which are subject to fluctuations. However, in smoking and cancer, there is a close association. In the deterrent effect, the situation is extremely opposite. The available data suggest that such association does not exist. For many years, homicide cases have been common in states where capital punishment is used compared to others that do not subject their citizens to state-sanctioned deaths.
