Criminologists have shown, statistically, that in US states where convicts are executed, serious crimes have not diminished. Other criminologists argue that this finding, if well-founded, should then apply to any criminal law: every day, criminal prohibitions are infringed; yet if we did not have such prohibitions, crimes would be even more rampant.
犯罪学家用实实在在的数据表明，在对罪犯执行死刑的美国各州，严重犯罪并没有任何减少的迹象。其他犯罪学家认为上述发现如果理由充分，就应该适用于所有的刑事规则：刑法设立的禁区时时都在被人打破。但如果根本没有这些禁区，犯罪行为就会更为猖獗。因此在他们看来，死刑至少可以对人类行凶倾向起到抑制的作用。