The Pros and cons of the death penalty debate
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Discuss the pros and cons of the death penalty.
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Solution Summary
This solution examines some of the common policy arguments surrounding the death penalty, including: deterrence, retribution, human rights, uneven enforcement against poor and minorities, and the finality of the death penalty as a form of punishment.
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The pro-position relies largely on deterrence. The idea is that the death penalty is not merely a form of punishment for already committed crimes, but a way of sending a message to criminals that actually prevents future crimes due to the threat of a possible death sentence. Many critics of the death penalty point out that many violent crimes are crimes of passion and cannot be deterred. Others point out that many criminals plan on not getting caught and so the alleged deterrence value of the death penalty is questionable. Moreover, the death penalty is unevenly applied and usually takes many years and so it loses much of the deterrent value that large-scale and speedy use of the death penalty might have. Modern democratic countries are unlikely to resort to such an expanded death penalty and so the deterrent value of this ...
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