ed to fly though the air; and they take precautions against falling" (127). What Van Cusson 4den Haag implies is that when you commit the crime, you take the precaution not to get caught. You never think that you will die even thought the potential exists. Van den Haag also comments, "deterrence refers to an instance where an individual refrains from and act because he or she perceives a risk of punishment for the act and fears that punishment(Bedau and Pierce 300). William Bailey notes:The conclusion that capital punishment has no deterrent effect on murder stems primarily from three types of investigations. These include: 1. comparative analyses of homicide rates for states which differ in the legal provision for the death penalty; 2. longitudinal investigations of states' homicide rates before and after the abolition or restoration of the death penalty, and 3. longitudinal analyses of homicide rates just before and just after publicity of executions (315).Those who support the death penalty do have their reasons in doing so. One reason is that the death penalty does, in fact, deter crime. "The deterrence theory suggests that publicity surrounding executions would have the effect of detouring would-be killers"(Bailey 318). The deterrence theory first suggests that if punishment is to be effective, the punishment must outweigh the crime and the potential pleasure it might bring. Second, the Cusson 5punishment must be administered publicly, and promptly in order to make the public aware that criminals pay for their crimes. And last, the punishment must be applied with the proper judicial attitude. All to often the judicial system does not show the criminals who is in charge. Then why have results for this theory been so minimal? Simply put, the deterrence theory has never really been tried and given a fair chance (Bedau and Pierce 317). But theory is only theory and the simple fact is that the death penalty does not work b...
