On average, about 15
crimes are eliminated for each additional prisoner locked up, saving social
costs estimated at $53,900 - well in excess of the $30,000 it costs annually
to incarcerate a a prisoner.” “Another study, by Llad Phillips, found that
each year of prison prevented 187 crimes per year.
Therefore
by imposing the death penalty on serious criminal offenders the state is
preventing further serious crimes from being committed. The threat
of possible death for criminals acts as a way of deterring them from performing
illegal acts.
In 1961 the United States banned the death penalty, resulting in the risk of going to prison for those who acted unlawfully. Due to the new standards of punishment for criminal behavior the crime rate drastically increased.