The Death Penalty Makes Our Society Less, Not More Safe!

It is Ineffective:
In a National Survey of 500 Police Chiefs, the death penalty was ranked as the least effective tool for reducing violent crime, unnecessarily squandering scarce crime prevention resources.

It is Wasteful:
Our communities would be exponentially better off by reinvesting the time, money and resources that we spend on trying to get a few people executed reinvested in crime prevention measures that work. -- Norm Stamper, Former Seattle Police Chief

It is Misdirected:
It diverts resources away from countless other crimes needing our limited attention. The death penalty is simply a distraction from the real issues surrounding public safety, -- Patrick Murphy, Former Detroit and New York City Police Commissioner

It is Not a Deterrent:
Eighty-eight (88) percent of top US criminologists conclude that the death penalty has no proven deterrent effect in reducing murder. Since most individuals commit violent crimes in the throes of extreme anger, often while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, they are incapable of fully considering consequencesincluding the thought that committing murder risks their execution. In fact, in the US, states without the death penalty routinely have lower murder rates. From 2000-2010, for example, abolitionist states had from 25-46 percent lower annual homicide rates, on average, than did states that legally can execute individuals convicted of murder.

Fund Effective Methods of Crime Prevention. Support HB 1520, Making Public Funds Available by Repealing the Death Penalty.
This flier is part of a series prepared by Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. For more information contact MADP at 816-931-4177 or visit our website at www.madpmo.org