In 1996, there were a total .

             of 15,168,100 arrests; 33,050 for forcible rape; 1,506,200 involving .

             drug violations and 19,020 for murder and non-negligent manslaughter. .

             The death penalty was enforced 45 times. The death penalty is an .

             expensive punishment, since 1976 the united states have spent 700 .

             million dollars in it. Methods of the death penalty include lethal .

             injection, gas chamber, electric chair, hanging and fire squad. In a .

             1986 poll 70% of Americans favored the death penalty as a punishment .

             for murder.

             There have been many comparisons of crime rates of death .

             penalty states to non- death penalty states. These clearly show that .

             the death penalty has no effect on the deteration of crime. The .

             homicide rates in Michigan, Ohio and Illinois rise and fall along with .

             Wisconsin. Michigan, Ohio and Illinois all have the death penalty. .

             Wisconsin does not. In 1994, the average murder rate in a death .

             penalty state of a population of 100,00 was 8.0, for a non-death .

             penalty state, 4.4. In Canada the homicide rate per 100,000 people .

             was 3.09 in 1975, this was when they had the death penalty. In 1976 .

             Canada got rid of the death penalty. In 1986 the crime rate decreased .

             to 2.19 per 100,000 people, the lowest in 15 years. Isn't it odd that .

             the crime rates were high with the death penalty and low without? .

             Clearly this shows that the presence of the death penalty has no .

             effect on the increase or decrease of crime rates. Even with the .

             death penalty, crime rates continue to rise and fall in the United .

             States. The number of people on death row in 1967 were in 1972: 200 .

             and in 1997 3,100. Crimes will be committed weather or not death .

             penalty is a method of punishment.

             Many people believe that the death penalty isn't an .

             effective way to deter crime. "The proposed drug death penalty is not .

             only barbaric but also foolish: a temper tantrum masquerading as an .

             act of government. It holds no promise for suppressing the drug .