s or takes advantage of another person, he is plundering. The notion of deterrence has been at the very center of the practical debate over the question of capital punishment. Fear influences people and most people fear death The death penalty deters murder by instilling the fear of execution into potential killers. People are less likely to do something illegal if they think that harm will come to themselves. Another way in which the death penalty prevents murder is eliminating brutal murderers from our society. If the brutal killer is dead, he or she will not be able to kill again.. It is sensible to think that the death penalty would deter murder. In an article from the American Journal of Sociology, according to David Philips psychological experiments show that people are often deterred from exhibiting aggression when they see someone else punished for it. According to Isaac Ehrlich's study, published on April 16, 1976, eight murders are deterred for each execution that is carried out in the U.S.A. He goes on to say, "If one execution of a guilty capital murderer deters the murder of one innocent life, the execution is justified." To most supporters of the death penalty, like Ehrlich, if even just one life is saved, for countless executions of the guilty, this is a good reason for the death penalty. Another useful report was written by researcher Karl Spence of Texas A&M University. He gathered statistics from 1960 to 1976, showing the ratio of executions to murders. The results were as follows: 1) In 1960, there were 56 executions in the United States and 9,140 murders. 2) By 1964, when there were only 15 executions, the number of murders had risen to 9,250. 3) In 1969, there were no executions and 14,590 murders. 4) In 1975, after six more years without executions, 20,510 murders occurred. So the number of murders grew as the number of executions declined. Spence said: "While some abolitionists try to face down the results of the...
