fficulties in trying to determine what the public’s view is on the death penalty are that the questions asked on polls are different. Also they way the questions are phrased are asked differently on different polls and also during different time periods. People aren't very well informed so instead of really forming an opinion there just choosing a side. These make it difficult to determine the view because there are so many flaws in the way it’s administered and the public is ignorant to many facts dealing with the death penalty. I do not think that the Supreme Court should continue to rely on the public opinion as a way of determining “the evolving standards of decency.” My reason for this is because the people are like children and the Supreme Court our parents. People look up to the Supreme Court for guidance, answers, and justice. The courts should be the one to set the better example. We don't believe murder is right so the courts should enforce death as a punishment because it’s hypocritical. If the court abolished the death penalty over time, as the generations changed people would think it was the right thing to do because the highest court felt so and they are suppose to help guide us in the right direction towards justice.Conclusions that I have drawn from this material are that people generally don't really favor the death penalty if there are other alternatives such as life imprisonment without parole. The public just wants to feel safe from harm and no that these people who have killed cant hurt them or loved ones also. Deterrence is the inhibition of criminal behavior especially by punishment. So it’s believed that if you punish some one it will prevent others from following criminal behavior. The deterrence thereby is that to be effective in preventing crime, criminal sanctions must be severe enough to outweigh the pleasures to be derived from crime, administered with great ...
