Quote:
Originally Posted by Saul Good
It's not called the "death deterrent". It's called the "death penalty".
It's not supposed to deter future criminals. It's supposed to punish convicted criminals.
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Yeup.
Rehabilitative models vs. retributive models.
The death penalty is a pretty clear remnant of the latter school. We don't give the death penalty to act as a deterrent, we give it to punish and provide retribution for the families/loved ones of the victims.
There's a reason that pleas for leniency from the victim's families are so persuasive with the courts in these instances. If the family doesn't want it, most prosecutors won't ask for it and most courts wouldn't grant it if they did.