NH Death Penalty Commission a Real Mess - Deterrence

NH Death Penalty Commission a real mess - Deterrence
Dudley Sharp, (For contact information email nhinsider@myway.com)

Deterrence and the Death Penalty

Astonishingly, within the decade with more studies finding for the deterrent effect of the death penalty, the NH Death Penalty Commission (the Commission) , apparently, contacted none of the authors of the 25 studies finding  for death penalty deterrence since 2000, but found two professors to testify that there is no deterrent effect. (See below for brief list of experts and studies)

This is not surprising, based upon previous meetings.

Will the Commission ever attempt to bring any balance to their task or will they just seek out only anti death penalty experts?

Each member of the Commission has an obligation to make sure that they are getting the full picture on the death penalty and that their final report will reflect that full picture.

Don't you think it's time to tend to that responsibility?

Deterrence

Anti death penalty folks would have us believe that the death penalty is not a deterrent. Yet, all prospects of a negative outcome deter some. It is a truism. The death penalty, the most severe of criminal sanctions, is the least likely of all criminal sanctions to violate that truism.

25 recent studies finding for deterrence, Criminal Justice Legal Foundation,
http://www.cjlf.org/deathpenalty/DPDeterrence.htm 

"Deterrence and the Death Penalty: A Reply to Radelet and Lacock"
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/07/02/deterrence-and-the-death-penalty-a-reply-to-radelet-and-lacock.aspx 

"Death Penalty, Deterrence & Murder Rates: Let's be clear"
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2009/03/death-penalty-deterrence-murder-rates.html

"The Death Penalty: More Protection for Innocents"
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/07/05/the-death-penalty-more-protection-for-innocents.aspx



Comments

[Ed Naile]

One question for the commission:

Why are people not eager to rat out the Mafia?

[Rick Olson]

All of this emphasis on "Deterrence" gets kind of tiresome. Anecdotally, one might argue that the death penalty is no deterrence, given the number of people on death row and the people getting sentenced to death...Fine. But the author Dudley Sharp has clearly done some decent research here and anti-DP folks will continue to cherry pick and argue which study is valid or not valid.

Here is a rub for the liberals. Death Penalties are not intended as a "crime preventor" Death Penalties are a PUNISHMENT. After Michael Addison was sentenced to death for Killing Manchester Police Officer Michael Briggs, I can't tell you how many people posted in the reader comments section of the UL, "Killing Addison won't bring back Briggs" What they failed to observe is that "Killing Addison won't bring back Addison" to kill again.

In 1975, Manchester Police Officer Ralph Miller was murdered by Cleo Roy who was 15 at the time. He was sentenced to 55 years to life. In recent years, Roy is suspected of Murder again at Marion Illinois where he is believed to have killed another prisoner. Yep...a cop Killer is believed to have killed again.

For all of this hair splitting and arguing with liberals about this, The death penalty for me, is about a society that recognizes "PROPORTIONALITY". When the death penalty is given for such aggregious crimes, society sanctions a punishment that takes into account both proportinality and totality of the crime committed.

[Rick Olson]

For some reason that doesn't read right....Dudley....liked the links...their great!