causal

Capital punishment is not a crime deterrent

Although people would like to believe capital punishment strongly deters future criminals, the way it has historically been carried out in the United States means it does not act as a deterrent at all, and the data supporting this are fairly clear.

causalpending

Speaker

Stephen Dubner

Evidence Quote

while one might like to believe that, for instance, capital punishment is a huge deterrent against future criminals, the way that capital punishment has historically been carried out in this country, it doesn't act as a deterrent at all

Source

Twenty Years of Freakonomics (with Stephen Dubner)EconTalk
Created: 6/13/2026, 12:23:34 AM

My Notes

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