es whether or not that state has capital punishment. In a recent 1995 poll, most police chief and sheriffs (82%) believe killers did not weigh the possible penalties before committing the crime. 11 They cite such factors as the proportion of urban residents in the state, the level of economic prosperity, and the social and racial makeup of the population. But a small minority is ready to believe in these statistics and to abandon the deterrence argument. But they defend the death penalty base on other arguments, relying primarily on the need to protect society from killers who are considered high risks for killing again. Between 1973 and 1995, approximately 5,760 death sentences were imposed in the U.S.30 313 (5.4%; one in 19) of those resulted in an execution during the period. 12 Incapacitation is another controversial aspect of the death penalty. Abolitionists say condemning a person to death removes any possibility of rehabilitation. They are confident in the life-sentence presenting the possibility of rehabilitating the convict. But rehabilitation is a myth. The state does not know how to rehabilitate people because there are plenty of convicted murderers who kill again. In a 1993 study of the 2,716 inmates sentenced to death, 240 of those have been convicted of prior homicides. 13 The life-sentence is also a myth because overcrowding in the prisons. Early parole has released convicted murderers and they still continue murder. Some escape and murder again, while others have murdered someone in prison. There are countless stories in prisons where a violent inmate kills another for his piece of chicken. Incapacitation is notsolely meant as deterrence but is meant to maximize public safety by remove any possibility of a convict murderer to murder again. The issue of execution of an innocent person is troubling to both abolitionists and proponents alike. Some people are frightened of this possibility enough to be convinced t...
