True, violent crime has risen sharply in the past two decades, but to begin with it has been abundantly demonstrated by social research that availability of the death penalty has no effect whatsoever upon the rate of violent crime; to the contrary, there is some scientific evidence that death sentences imposed and carried out may, for peculiar reasons of social and psychic pathology, be an incentive to further acts of violence in the society. ...

• Word Count: 2841
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: Undergraduate