The deterrent effect of capital punishment: a question of life and death

Debate over the justness and efficacy of capital punishment may be almost as old as the death penalty itself. Not surprisingly, and as is generally recognized by contemporary writers on this topic, the philosophical and moral arguments for and against the death penalty have remained remarkably unchanged over time (see Thorsten Sellin (1959, p. 17), and (H. A. Bedau, pp. 120-214). Due in part to its essentially objective nature, one outstanding issue has, however, become the subject of increased attention in recent years and has played a central role in shaping the case against the death penalty. That issue is the deterrent effect of capital punishment, a reexamination of which, in both theory and practice, is the object of this paper.