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Originally Posted by KenWittlief
You need to do some research on this. China has the death penalty for drug abuse, and they have the lowest drug abuse rate in the world.
Look at Iraq before Saddam was removed from power. He was a brutal dictator who would involke capitol punishment at the drop of a hat. People lived in fear for their lives, and it kept them in line. Remember how the Iraqis looted for weeks when his government fell?
Extreem examples, but none the less: when people actually believe they will be put to death for their crimes, the crime rate is lower.
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Ken, I'd like to see some proof that capital punishment is an effective deterrent here in the US.
China and Iraq are not good examples. Both countries rountinely oppress their citizens who essentially have no rights. Capital punishment surely is an effective deterrent there, because people live in constant fear of the government. When was the last time you felt compelled to keep your mouth shut about an opinion you had of the president? You probably haven't, because we know we aren't going to be put to death.
Furthermore, it's not an arbitrary process here. Criminals know that even if they kill multiple people, it's not a sure thing that they'll even be convicted, or sentenced to death, and if they were, they can spend 20 years appealing. So really...I'm not seeing any supreme fear of being put to death.
Do you think people living under Saddam even knew what a trial, letalone an appeal was? We don't go around killing people on a whim, so I'm really at a loss as to how you can invoke any meaningful comparison here.
China would probably be considered a borderline "civilized country" by some. They're one of the worst human rights offenders in the world. Again, how can you compare us?