The Death Penalty as Deterrent

A few years ago, as a parting gesture when leaving office, then governor of Illinois George Ryan declared a moratorium on the death penalty. His decision was partly due to an imbalance in the way the death penalty was administered, as well as taking into account that new developments in DNA testing had cleared a number of inmates who were on death row erroneously. Now some new evidence and studies may show that the death penalty is indeed a deterrent to violent crimes like murder.

Christians debate the death penalty's effectiveness as a deterrent as well as its morality. Some of the issues that are brought up during the discussion include whether it is indeed supported by the Bible and more directly whether Jesus would sanction the use of the death penalty. Other arguments center around whether there is a humane way of executing a convict or if it is always "cruel and unusual punishment."

If the execution of a convict results in deterring others from harming innocent victims, would that alone justify using capital punishment? Is the biblical injunction of the Old Testament still binding in New Testament times? Is it just to administer the death penalty in an obviously imbalanced manner targeting minorities and those who cannot afford top legal counsel?

The studies will have to undergo strong scrutiny. More studies will be done. But if the evidence continues to come in favor of capital punishment's deterrence, you can expect that more executions will take place in the future.