Russell Williams
Well-Known Member
In Maryland there is talk of getting up a petition so that Maryland will again have the death penalty. There are a lot of arguments on both sides of the issue but I have not seen a lot of research.
There are certainly three areas that can be studied in deciding whether or not the death penalty is effective.
One) In the desert areas along the United States border with Mexico authorities and others have found large numbers of bodies of people who died while trying to cross the desert into the United States. This is a case of people who were trying to get into the United States illegally and were given the death penalty, by nature, for their efforts. Once other potential illegal immigrants realized that they might suffer the death penalty for trying to cross through the desert why did others keep trying to do it? Remember, many have suffered the death penalty for trying to carry out this illegal act . Obviously in this case the death penalty is not working very well.
Two) Massachusetts does not have a death penalty. What studies have been done of the jailed people who probably would have been sentenced to death had there been a death penalty in Massachusetts? Have interviews been conducted with them to find out how many of them would not have committed the crimes had there been a death penalty?
Three) Texas leads the nation in executions. What interviews have been done with the Texas people who are on death row to find out what additions to the death penalty would have deterred them? Certainly there are things that can be done to a person's body after they are executed and there are things that can be done to a person before they are executed. Since various government officials have stated that waterboarding is not torture perhaps the knowledge that upon receiving a death penalty sentence they would first undergo daily waterboarding, (which some government official have stated is not torture) for a period of perhaps 3 to 6 months.
Carefully controlled scientific studies such as suggested above might help shed light on the effectiveness of the death penalty as a deterrent to murder. Certainly the man who held the three women in his house should be interviewed the find out what kinds of possible punishments would have kept him from doing what he did.
There are certainly three areas that can be studied in deciding whether or not the death penalty is effective.
One) In the desert areas along the United States border with Mexico authorities and others have found large numbers of bodies of people who died while trying to cross the desert into the United States. This is a case of people who were trying to get into the United States illegally and were given the death penalty, by nature, for their efforts. Once other potential illegal immigrants realized that they might suffer the death penalty for trying to cross through the desert why did others keep trying to do it? Remember, many have suffered the death penalty for trying to carry out this illegal act . Obviously in this case the death penalty is not working very well.
Two) Massachusetts does not have a death penalty. What studies have been done of the jailed people who probably would have been sentenced to death had there been a death penalty in Massachusetts? Have interviews been conducted with them to find out how many of them would not have committed the crimes had there been a death penalty?
Three) Texas leads the nation in executions. What interviews have been done with the Texas people who are on death row to find out what additions to the death penalty would have deterred them? Certainly there are things that can be done to a person's body after they are executed and there are things that can be done to a person before they are executed. Since various government officials have stated that waterboarding is not torture perhaps the knowledge that upon receiving a death penalty sentence they would first undergo daily waterboarding, (which some government official have stated is not torture) for a period of perhaps 3 to 6 months.
Carefully controlled scientific studies such as suggested above might help shed light on the effectiveness of the death penalty as a deterrent to murder. Certainly the man who held the three women in his house should be interviewed the find out what kinds of possible punishments would have kept him from doing what he did.
