The economics of Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The economics of Crime - Essay Example There are two aspects to consider when undertaking a study of the death penalty. The first aspect is whether or not the penalty is effective as a crime preventative measure. The second is whether or not the effectiveness of the prevention, no matter how effective it may or may not be, is worth the immorality of the taking of another’s life. The question relates to whether or not the right of the state to forfeit a life falls within the expectation of moral and ethical behavior that the worldwide community believes is fair and just. In considering the final nature of the death penalty and the lack of truly effective prevention from the threat of the death penalty, the forfeiture of life by the state does not seem to have merit. World wide opinion on the use of the death penalty as an effective tool for the prevention of crime has been diminished over the last two decades. According to Amnesty International (2010), two-thirds of the countries of the world do not have the death penalty and of the 58 remaining countries, most do not use the death penalty although they have it as an option. The United States, an economic and social leader in the world, still uses the death penalty as a punishment for crime. According to the American website Death Penalty Information Center (2010), 2009 saw 52 executions, all but one of which was done through lethal injection. Larry Bill Elliot was executed in the state of Virginia through the use of an electric chair. It has only been in recent history within the United States that the death penalty for juveniles was abolished. A sum total of 228 juvenile offenders were sentenced for life ending measures between the years of 1973 and 2004 with 22 of those ending in executions and 134 received commuted sentences (Lawrence & Hemmens, 2008, p. 34). A United States Supreme Court decision in the case of Roper v Simmons abolished the