Empirical studies and historical analyses consistently indicate that capital punishment fails to provide a measurable deterrent effect against violent crime, contradicting classical deterrence theory.
Evidence against · 3
THE DEATH PENALTY MEETS SOCIAL SCIENCE: Deterrence and Jury Behavior Under New Scrutiny
2005 · cited by 24
The review notes that while some newer econometric studies claim marginal deterrence, they face severe criticism for methodological flaws, omitting key variables, and anomaly distortions.
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More against · 2
Capital Punishment and the Deterrence of Violent Crime in Comparable Counties
1993 · cited by 14
County-level matching analyses find that capital punishment variables do not account for any significant portion of differences in violent crime rates and show no deterrent effect.
Capital Punishment and Deterrence
1980 · cited by 6
Historical examinations of executions demonstrate that capital punishment has failed as a means of deterring others from committing capital crimes.