Mapping Executions

It often takes a view from the outside to show us how wrong we are. The map and charts above come from the Independent in London. It's a strong graphic and one that immediately raises several questions.

In the top right, we have a graph of the murder rate over time in death penalty states and non-death penalty states. As the two fall together, closely mirroring one another, how can anyone argue that the death penalty is a deterrent?

I've run through the numbers of executions here before, but to me this map makes it plainer than ever. Outside of a few hotbed states, the endless debate over the death penalty is over a very few executions. We're accepting an extreme economic cost, and the moral scorn of much of the world, to execute less than 100 people a year in the country. Without Texas, we'd have less than 50 executions a year. Is it worth all of this economic cost and fervent debate over 50 executions a year? Could 50 executions in a country with 16,000 murders per year really be a deterrent?

Perhaps this view from the outside could be another wake-up call for a failed form of punishment.

Via Graphic Sociology, a great source for fascinating maps and charts about social trends of all stripes.

And Texas 'wins' ..... again.......

I have been many times to Texas and most people are all about killing.
They don't care and most people believe in owning rivals and guns.

Once I went to somebody's house in Houston, Texas. When I entered the hall way, I asked him why he got so many rivals in his kabinet? He said, if he didn't have it, people will burglar and kill his family. I realised, it's the mentality of a Texan. Their guns or rival is their freedom. So unfortunately, this will never stop!