e fourth of Texas executions. Homicides in this county are down almost thirty percent since capital punishment started back up there in 1976. (Bartlett) That is not a coincidence. This is probably the most argued about topic within the death penalty controversy, although this quote by John McAdams seems to sum it up: "If we execute murderers and there is in fact no deterrent effect, we have killed a bunch of murderers. If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murders, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former. This, to me, is not a tough call." (www.prodeathpenalty.com) The main purpose of the death penalty is often overlooked. It is to protect our right to live. (Bartlett) Alex Kozinski from the U.S. Court of Appeals once said: "Most of us continue to believe that those who show utter contempt for human life by committing remorseless, premeditated murder justly forfeit the right to their own life." (www.prodeathpenalty.com) Capital punishment guarantees that convicted murderers will not kill again, and that makes for an overall safer environment in this country. A life sentence gives a convict an entire lifetime to escape and repeat his or her crimes. (www.bostonherald.com) With all the violence of today, capital punishment isnt an option, its a necessity....
