Crime and Capital Punishment

While it is helpful to listen to people's stated reasons for their beliefs, those reasons don't always account for the emotional reasons behind our thoughts and actions.

When comparing support for the death penalty and violent crime rates in the U.S. over the last half century, there is a clear implication the two are connected, with their trend lines mapping nearly perfectly on top of eachother, as the lines move in unison. This strong correlation suggests that their connection may be causal, with increased fear and anxiety surrounding criminal activity, people are more willing to accept harsh punishments from which they might otherwise shy away.

The implementation of the Death Penalty in this country has always been deeply racialized. From which victims lives are most likely to bring about a death sentence to the number of victims a crime needs to warrant death, the overall verdict is clear - the Death Penalty is more harmful to black Americans than white Americans, and its not explainable by crime rate, but by racism.