Death sentence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Death sentence - Essay Example Secondly, criminologists have shown that people who commit capital crimes such as murder do it at the ‘heat of the moment.’ Such crimes are not premeditated, and are usually committed as a result of stress or the influence of alcohol or other drugs. In committing crimes, the criminals are not in a stable mind state. Therefore, previous executions do not help in stopping an individual from committing crime. Thirdly, research has shown that life imprisonment is a better alternative for deterring crime compared to the death sentence. Persons serving a life sentence operate in a certain routine and are not a threat to society. Therefore, the death sentence does not have an additional effect in deterring crime (Ruppin, 2012). Finally, history and research have shown that violence is a learnt behavior, and therefore regardless of the severity of the punishment offered, such crimes will still be committed. The death sentence cannot help in stopping a behavior that is common to a given society or group. In conclusion, there is no evidence to prove that the death penalty helps to reduce crime, and therefore should be abolished. Efforts should be directed towards solving social problems such as drug