Dave- help me out here- I SWEAR I'm not being purposefully dense, but the "whole host of things" you mention is the same between states with or without the death penalty (I concur that Canada as an example may have too many variables), and homicide rates are the same in either case. What am I missing? -EK
1. While Canada has seen a decrease in murder since banning, when the US had a similiar ban the murder rate went up.
2. As for comparing state to state or country to contry. In States with a low crime rate there is less public outcry for a death penality, in states with a high crime rate the death penality becomes more popular. Therefore states with a high murder rate are more likely to enact a death penality.
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