Name: Jacqueline Lazo
Date: 04/22/2016
Assignment: Experiencing Social Research #11
Professor: T. Alvarado
Capital Punishment and Deterrence:
Examining the Effect of Executions on Murder in Texas
Summary
This case was based on the effect of executions on murder rates in Texas during 1984-97.
It was studied to test the deterrence hypothesis that asserts that capital punishment is associated
with lower homicide rates. Longitudinal designs were used to study the influence of the death
penalty in a single jurisdiction over time. The earliest of these studies examined homicide rates
in jurisdictions before and after a legislative change in legal status of the death penalty that either
abolished or implemented capital punishment. The deterrence hypothesis would not be supported
if states experienced lower rates of homicide during retentions periods and higher rates of
homicide during abolitionist periods. These studies failed to support the deterrence hypothesis
because they found inconsistent changes in murder rates after legislative enactments.
To examine the deterrence hypothesis during the modern era, data that spanned the years
from 1984 through 1997 were collected from official sources. It examined the general
relationship between executions and felony murder rates. Data collection was limited as a result
of the Houston Police Department’s failure to report information on homicides in 1983.
Estimating the murder rate for 1983 would be bias so they decided to leave out year 1983 and
just start with year 1984.
The way they set up the information was like this. The number of executions was the
independent variable. The dependent variables include rates of murder and rates of felony
murder. The murder rate was based on the number of murders and Nonnegligent manslaughters
occurring in Texas during the period studied. The study excluded negligent manslaughters,
accidental homicides, justifiable homicides committed by citizens and police officers, and
executions performed by the State. Murders involving burglary, robbery, or sexual assault were
coded as felony murders. Results revealed an initial relationship between executions and murder
rates. But his relationship proved to be false when appropriate control variables were included in
regression models. Control variables that were positively related to murder rates included the
percentage of the population in metropolitan areas, the percentage of the population ages 18-34,
the murder conviction rate, and the high season. Findings confirmed the results of previous
studies that failed to reveal any evidence of deterrence resulting from capital punishment.
This study concluded by finding out that the deterrence hypothesis had no effect due to
the recent evidence from the most active execution state in the nation. The number of executions
did not appear to influence either the rate of murder in general or the rate of felony murder in any
particular way. Executions did not reduce murder rates but it also did no increase them. The flow
of murder rates remained. Nothing was changed due to the deterrence hypothesis. From the data
that was collected it seems that the authors believed that other factors were involved and became
responsible for the multiple variations and trends in murder rates.
3 Questions:
1. Would the outcome of this study be different if they had collected data from a different
state? (keep in mind Texas has the highest rate or executions but it is not the only state with a
death penalty.)
2. Does the demographic change the outcome? Would the hypothesis get a different result
if they tested it in California where there is a diversity in culture and people? (keep in mind that
70.4% of the population of Texas was White American at the time.)
3. Besides the given information, what other limitations did this research have?
4. Your thoughts on the subject of execution?