Most probably, common reasons given to justify the death penalty - its deterrent statement (formidable) exposed to potential criminals. It is based on the concept of "rationality" of criminals, weigh their actions and their consequences. However, this argument is not supported by any statistical studies nor long-term criminological observation that perpetrators of serious crimes, or do not think about the consequences or counting on the fact that they will not be arrested and convicted. Only 5-10% of murders are premeditated. However, even those who commit them are counting primarily on impunity. "If there are people who are a threat to the death penalty can stop, then - due to the overall statistics - the total effect of - this category of" compensated "hardens the effect that the death penalty has on society as a whole.
The report submitted to the UN in 1988, also concluded that the death penalty has little deterrent effect than life imprisonment. Note that even law-abiding citizen, weighing their actions, running across the road in front of the car, are more afraid of small, but the probability of penalty than death under the wheels.
We can say that these findings are confirmed completely "pure" experiments. For example, in the UK the death penalty for murder was abolished first in an experiment (in 1965). After 5 years, Parliament returned to this question, placing data on the dynamics of crime over the years. The negative effect of the abolition of the death penalty was not available, and the Parliament took the final decision to abolish the death penalty for murder. In the US, the death penalty has been abolished in 13 states out of 50, but it has not been a deterrent effect in the remaining states, which would be larger than the effect of a life sentence in the United States without the death penalty. In addition, according to statistics in the USSR, the USA and Italy, where 100 thousand. Population accounts for 9.8 murders per year (and this figure is relatively constant), the approach to death is directly opposite: Italy do without her for 40 years, she saved our country and in the US operates in most states. These facts indicate that there is no correlation between the use of the death penalty and homicide. (Bibliocollege 2010)
Counterproductive to the death penalty is not restricted to its dehumanizing effects on society. It also diverts attention of officials (and citizens) on the measures needed to achieve real results of combating crime. (Warrax 2011)
References
Bibliocollege. (2010) 4 arguments in favor of abolishing the death penalty, http://www.biblecollege.by/resurs/public/19-kazn.html?start=4
Warrax. (2011) On the question of the death penalty, http://warrax.net/93/02/death.html
