“The Death Penalty is a Deterrent,” by George E. Pataki, and “The Death Penalty Should Not Be Abolished,” by David B. Muhlhausen, are two articles that support capital punishment as a deterrent to crime. “Legalized Murder: The Death Penalty Serves as Vengeance and Does Nothing to Solve the Crime,” by Michael J. Ring, and “The Death Penalty Should Be Abolished,” published by Amnesty International, are two opposing articles capital punishment as a deterrent to crime. discuss the risks of the “inhumane” form of punishment. The following discussions demonstrate the contrasting views that make capital punishment one of the most controversial topics in society today. Pataki expresses his views on the death penalty and its effectiveness as a deterrent to crime. He states that during his tenure as governor of New York, crime was significantly reduced due to the reinstatement of capital punishment and that the numbers supported his claims; “Since I took office in 1995, violent crimes have decreased by 23, assaults by 22, and murders by almost a third. » He believes that by bringing justice to the perpetrator of the crime, the death penalty prevents crimes while arousing fear of being arrested and convicted in the killers. He says: “I think this happened in part because of the strong signal that the death penalty and our other harsh laws send to violent criminals and murderers: You will be punished with the full force of the law. » Although his deterrence theory may be contested, numerous studies have shown that the death penalty can deter crime. In his article, Muhlhausen presents several studies that support the theory of deterrence. It summarizes the results of studies using state-level data, demonstrating the link between capital punishment...... middle of article ......119285&mode=view&userGroupName=thecitadel&jsid=cb2eb6d30680c1c467ae9af871d4c9a4Muhlhausen, David B. “The Death Penalty Should Not Be Abolished.” Crime and Criminals. Ed. James D. Torr. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Views. Gale Opposing Views in Context. Internet. February 17 2011. Document URLhttp://ic.galegroup.com.library-cat.citadel.edu/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010119286&mode=view&userGroupName=thecitadelle&jsid = 45462cfb7229202cbbcde09d8c5aa275 “The Death Penalty Is a Deterrent,” by George E. Pataki “Legalized Murder: The Death Penalty Serves Vengeance and Does Nothing to Solve the Crime,” by Michael J. Ring “Legalized Murder: The Punishment Death Serves Vengeance and Does Nothing to Solve the Crime,” by Michael J. Ring