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Cited by 95Torture, Ethics, and LawLaw, Economics, and Judicial SystemsCriminal Law and Policy

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Deterrence and the Death Penalty

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National Research Council·2012·National Academies Press eBooks
DOI 10.17226/13363
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Abstract

Many studies during the past few decades have sought to determine whether the death penalty has any deterrent effect on homicide rates. Researchers have reached widely varying, even contradictory, conclusions. Some studies have concluded that the threat of capital punishment deters murders, saving large numbers of lives; other studies have concluded that executions actually increase homicides; still others, that executions have no effect on murder rates. Commentary among researchers, advocates, and policymakers on the scientific validity of the findings has sometimes been acrimonious. Against this backdrop, the National Research Council report Deterrence and the Death Penalty assesses whether the available evidence provides a scientific basis for answering questions of if and how the death penalty affects homicide rates. This new report from the Committee on Law and Justice concludes that research to date on the effect of capital punishment on homicide rates is not useful in determining whether the death penalty increases, decreases, or has no effect on these rates. The key question is whether capital punishment is less or more effective as a deterrent than alternative punishments, such as a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Yet none of the research that has been done accounted for the possible effect of noncapital punishments on homicide rates. The report recommends new avenues of research that may provide broader insight into any deterrent effects from both capital and noncapital punishments.

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Metadata

Authors
National Research Council
Corresponding author
National Research Council
Venue
National Academies Press eBooks
Publisher
National Academies Press
Published
2012-04-26
DOI
10.17226/13363
OpenAlex
W1598111140
Semantic Scholar
173f3d9500896dda6dcb3d58203e515b5a7932bb
Cited by
95
References
0
Citations by year
2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
FWCI
7.28
Type
book
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • National Academies Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
  • CrimRxiv (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • eYLS (Yale Law School) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Torture, Ethics, and Law
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Law, Economics, and Judicial Systems
  • Social Sciences › Law › Criminal Law and Policy
Keywords
death penalty, deterrence, homicide rates, murder, life imprisonment without parole, criminal justice policy, research validity

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