Introduction
Introduction
Many death penalty advocates are now saying it doesn't matter whether executions deter would-be killers. Retribution alone, they argue, justifies such a harsh sentence. Their argument seems to have had some effect. Public support for the death penalty is higher now than it's been in recent decades. But the actual number of executions each year is still relatively low, and some experts believe this reflects the public's deep-seated ambivalence about the issue.