[Vision2020] Study says Death Penalty IS a Deterent

[Joe Campbell]

There are two issues here, Gary and Kai.

Is the death penalty is a justified/appropriate/convenient option. I'm no fan of the death penalty (actually, I'm against it -- not surprising given my Catholic sentiments). 

I don't want to argue about this issue, though. Here is a genuine philosophical issue -- a host of them, in fact -- that would take awhile to untangle and in the end you and are unlikely to think differently.

But the issue Donovan began with was whether on not the death penalty is a deterrent. This strikes me as an empirical issue. Donovan claimed to have evidence supporting that it was a deterrent and with regard to that debate I say, “Hogwash!”

If you have rabbits eating your carrots and I tell you that I have a way of deterring the rabbits you'd be surprised were I to offer the solution of shooting them. This might solve the problem (issue 1) but it doesn't solve the problem by deterring the rabbits from eating your carrots (issue 2). That's my point.

Best, Joe

---- "g. crabtree" <jampot at adelphia.net> wrote: 

=============
There is also the lives they may eventually take in prison. Or are inmates convicted of lesser crimes as well as corrections staff not entitled to protection from society's worst? We've run down this path before, the only problem with a death penalty is the danger of making a mistake. In cases where the guilt is beyond all shadow of a doubt, (Joseph Duncan leaps to mind) give them a shot and make the world a slightly better place.

g
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kai Eiselein, editor" <editor at lataheagle.com>
To: "Joe Campbell" <joekc at adelphia.net>; <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Monday, June 11, 2007 9:33 AM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Study says Death Penalty IS a Deterent


> Joe,
> The difference is with life without parole there is ALWAYS a chance of 
> escape. There is no escape from death.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Joe Campbell" <joekc at adelphia.net>
> To: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
> Sent: Monday, June 11, 2007 9:22 AM
> Subject: [Vision2020] Study says Death Penalty IS a Deterent
> 
> 
>> Donovan,
>>
>> Here is a quote noting the conclusion of your 'scientific study.'
>>
>> "What gets little notice, however, is a series of academic studies over 
>> the last half-dozen years that claim to settle a once hotly debated 
>> argument - whether the death penalty acts as a deterrent to murder. The 
>> analyses say yes. They count between three and 18 lives that would be 
>> saved by the execution of each convicted killer."
>>
>> What is missing is the contrasting study: Would killing the killer prevent 
>> more lives than, say, putting him in prison for life? There is no evidence 
>> to suggest so, as far as I can tell. The "once hotly debated argument" is 
>> not about whether death would prevent people from killing. Of course it 
>> would! The issue is whether the threat of death prevents anyone from 
>> killing. And your 'study' says absolutely nothing about that. There is no 
>> evidence here that the death penalty is any more of a deterrent than, say, 
>> life without parol.
>>
>> Best, Joe
>>