The main reason why abolition is always shot down is the argument of deterrence. ... Given the large number of narrow escapes, it is certain that some of the five hundred people executed since the mid-twenties, there were innocents (Whitaker 100). ...
During the mid-1970s Isaac Ehrlich found a strong correlation between the number of executions and the murder rate, saying that each execution prevented seven or eight murders in effect (Henderson 259). ... While hanging out with a friend at a convenience store at the age of 16, he developed a wonderment of what it would be like to take a life, so he shot the clerk dead. ...
With the birth of man comes the birth of crime and hence with the birth of crime is the origin of punishment. Punishments vary based on the seriousness of the offense; robbery can result to months in prison and murder can lead to the death of the convicted man. Many Americans share the same attitude that the convicted must pay for his misdeeds to society. However, should the convicted pay with his life? Should he give up his right to live because of his offense? ...
