provide an argument for the death penalty using rational choice/deterrence theory.?

Answer 1

Its not a deterrent, its a punishment.
Perfectly rational

Answer 2

Rational Choice And Deterrence Theory

Answer 3

A couple of answers (from astatine, SergioPL and KevinStud99,) are based on mistakes about the facts.

Re: Deterrence
Deterrence means that if someone is punished for a crime, others will not commit the same crime. The term used for preventing the same person from repeating the crime is incapacitation.

The death penalty is not a deterrent. States with the death penalty have higher homicide rates than states that do not have it. (See sources.) People who commit murder do not think about the consequences. They do not think they will be caught, that is, if they think at all.

Re: Cost
A system that includes capital punishment as the worst penalty is much more expensive than one which does not. For example, in New York State, over the 10 years when the death penalty was in effect, it cost the state well over 200 million dollars to sentence 7 men sentenced to death. None of the 7 men had come close to exhausting all appeals. Four of these had one appeal (and won) while the others had none. Extra costs are due to: pretrial investigations to decide if a case warrants seeking the death penalty, much more complicated trials (actually two trials in one,mandated by the Supreme Court, one to decide on guilt or innocence and one to decide on the sentence), costs of maintaining a separate death row, among other things. Annual cost of incarcerating someone in New York is estimated at 35,000. No comparison.

Re: Alternatives
48 states have life without parole on the books. It means what it says, is swift and sure and is rarely appealed. Being locked in a tiny cell, forever, is certainly no picnic. Life without parole incapacitates a killer (keeps him from re-offending) and costs considerably less than the death penalty.

Re: Risk of executing an innocent person
Over 120 exonerated from death row. Once a person is executed for a crime the case is closed. If that person was innocent the real killer is still out there, and won't be charged.

It seems to me that there are no rational, fact based arguments for the death penatly. People who support it tend to believe in an eye for an eye, and don't know the practical reasons for opposing it. Opposing the death penalty does not mean you are "soft on crime" or condone brutal acts. It means you rely on the facts and on common sense, not revenge.

Answer 4

1. You know you might get death penalty, so a rational person would be less likely to commit a crime. Hence the deterrent

2. Dead person cannot escape or be released on parole and commit more crimes

3. Keeping people in prison costs money.
But currently in US legal costs of death penalty (appeals and all) are more than cost of lifetime imprisonment.

Answer 5

The death penalty fee the main to maintain. with each and all of the legal wrangling in the legal equipment..the inmate has extra probability of death of previous age formerly he's carried out..and a selection of of alternative states do no longer enable the death penalty... the death penalty under no circumstances deters crime..it under no circumstances has the death penalty isn't low-fee selection and is morally incorrect for all and sundry to take a existence..era

Answer 6

Death caused by one person to another w/o self defence is wrong....just put 25 people on one of those islands out in the Pac that we own and drop food for 3.

Answer 7

In addition to the first two excellent points, there's the matter that convicts who have been adminsistered the death penalty do not escape and rape and murder again.

Answer 8

The death penalty is the only flawless deterrent: a dead murderer won't kill anyone ever again. (Except in the movies.)

Answer 9

It's cheaper for the government to get rid of a convict that doesn't deserve to receive rehabilitation and won't go back to society than maintaining him for many years (free food, free housing, free medical services, etc.)

Answer 10

Capital punishment does not deter crime. So any "rational choice theory" that attempts to make it do so is pointless.