Some supporters of the death penalty have suggested that the penalty makes economic sense, arguing that it is cheaper to execute an offender than to keep him or her in prison for life. Yet a review of the costs of both punishments clearly shows that the death penalty is far more expensive than life imprisonment. Another myth surrounding the death penalty is the belief that this punishment is necessary to protect both society and prison inmates from persons who are likely to kill again. One study has shown that less than one percent of offenders released from prison for willful homicide were returned to prison for committing another homicide. Studies of inmates sentenced for capital murder who had their sentences commuted under the Furman decision and were subsequently released have consistently shown that only a minute proportion have committed another homicide.
Few homicides meet the requisite legal criteria to be prosecuted as capital murder.
Between 1980 and 1989, more than 206,000 murders were reported to the police. During the same period, only 117 executions were carried out, meaning that there was approximately one execution for every 1,767 murders committed. Essay Questions 1. Identify and discuss three ways that the death penalty might act as a deterrent for noncapital felonies. In 1975, Erlich used multiple regression analysis to examine the deterrent effect of the death penalty.