Every Time a Violent or Tragic Crime Is Committed Against

question 25

Essay

Every time a violent or tragic crime is committed against an innocent person, renewed calls are made that the person who committed that crime should be subject to the death penalty. The text devotes considerable space to the death penalty. Does the death penalty work? How often has it been utilized? How much does it cost a state to prosecute an individual under the death penalty? Would it be cheaper long term to sentence that person to life in prison without parole, to avoid the litigation costs over a death sentence?

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Definitions:

Lens Accommodates

The process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus on objects at different distances.

Weber's Law

A principle in psychology that states the smallest change in a stimulus, such as weight or brightness, that can be detected is a constant proportion of the stimulus level.

Constant Proportion

A principle that, in a specific context, a relationship between certain quantities remains consistent, irrespective of changes in other variables.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum intensity of a stimulus that one can detect 50% of the time, which varies across different sensory modalities.