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The Debate over the merits of capital punishment has endured

for years, and continues to be an extremely indecisive and

complicated issue. Adversaries of capital punishment point to the

Marshalls and the Millgards, while proponents point to the Dahmers

and Gacys. Society must be kept safe from the monstrous barbaric

acts of these individuals and other killers, by taking away their

lives to function and perform in our society. At the same time, we

must insure that innocent people such as Marshall and Millgard are

never convicted or sentenced to death for a crime that they did not

commit.

Many contend that the use of capital punishment as a form of

deterrence does not work, as there are no fewer murders on a per-

capita basis in countries or states that do have it, then those

that do not. In order for capital punishment to work as a

deterrence, certain events must be present in the criminal's mind

prior to committing the offence. The criminal must be aware that

others have been punished in the past for the offence that he or

she is planning, and that what happened to another individual who

committed this offence, can also happen to me.

But individuals who commit any types of crime ranging from

auto theft to 1st-Degree Murder, never take into account the

consequences of their actions. Deterrence to crime, is rooted in

the individuals themselves. Every human has a personal set of

conduct. How much they will and will not tolerate. How far they

will and will not go. This personal set of conduct can be made or

be broken by friends, influences, family, home, life, etc. An

individual who is never taught some...