Christine NguyenProfessor WoodUS GovernmentMarch 16, 2015Abolishing the Death Penalty: Yes or No? The death penalty has many other names; execution, capital punishment, death sentence, death sentence. This harsh sentence is usually given to those who commit murder or rape to deter crime. Like a coin, there are always two sides to the question. The reasons for supporting abolition of the death penalty are that it costs more to serve the death penalty than to keep someone in prison for life and it violates the “cruel and unusual” clause of the Bill of Rights. On the other hand, against the abolition of capital punishment there is racial bias in the justice system and in DNA testing, advanced crime scene science eliminates uncertainty about someone's guilt or innocence. The death penalty is intended to deter criminals from committing repeat crimes. A 1975 review of capital punishment by an economist and psychologist concluded that a deterrent effect was found over many years and in all states. A 2003 study found that from 1977 to 1996, on average, each execution resulted in 18 fewer murders per county. In another review of data from 50 states from 1978 to 1997, one economist found that each state execution deters an average of 14 murders per year. The numbers show that capital punishment deters crime, but the justice system should be cautious when rendering the final verdict. Officials at all levels must keep in mind constitutional protections such as due process and equal protection of the law. However, one should not take advantage of the criminal's trial because this would hinder the legal execution of the death penalty in capital punishment. After a criminal is released from prison, he is guaranteed to be arrested again. Performing another criminal act. About 68 percent of prisoners released in 2005 in 30 states were arrested for a new crime within three years of release, and 77 percent were arrested within five years. Thirty-seven percent of prisoners arrested within five years of release were then arrested within the first six months of release, while 57% were arrested by the end of the first year. Statistics say that three out of four former prisoners will be arrested within five years of release. My criminology textbook listed a reason I found interesting, criminals believe they won't get caught twice for the same type of crime, just as lightning doesn't strike the same place twice