The death penalty has existed since the beginning of time as a means of punishing criminals, unquestioned until the last century or so in terms of whether or not it is an ethical practice. Supporters of the death penalty offer its ability to deter crime as the primary reason for supporting it, their view is supported by a functionalist sociological view in that using the death penalty will generate enough fear that people will refrain from committing types of capital punishment. crime to which the death penalty is applicable (Schaefer, 2009). Another reason to favor it is of an emotional nature; if a person commits a crime of a particularly horrific nature, many may feel that they deserve the death penalty, believing that “an eye for an eye” is appropriate for such a case (Jillette, Teller, & Price, 2006). However, one should ask: are emotional response and a theory of deterrence sufficient to justify the use of the death penalty? In this article I will answer this and other questions. The answer to the question of whether or not the death penalty determines crime is no, it does not. First of all, the fear of being sentenced to death is not at all sufficient to prevent a crime from being committed. Philosophy professor and Holocaust survivor Agnes Heller, who appeared in the "Death Penalty" episode of "Penn & Teller: Bullshit!" to argue against the death penalty, he points out that there are different reasons for those types of crimes for which the convicted could be sentenced to death: there are crimes of passion, crimes for profit and crimes for pleasure (such as a serial killer who commits their own fantasies), and that in all these circumstances, the desire to carry out the crime is strong enough that they don't care about the consequences... middle of the paper... what a disgusting risk to keep him around. Instead of executing them, if our convicted murderers must die, let them do so in prison, where life is harsh and a living hell. I think this kind of life is punishment enough. Works Cited Jillette, P., Teller (producers), and Price, S. (director). (2006). Penn & Teller: Bullshit! - The death penalty [TV programme]. United States: Showtime.Johnson, R., & Tabriz, S. (2011). Sentencing children to death by incarceration: a deadly denial of social responsibility. Prison Journal, 91(2), 198-206. doi: 10.1177/0032885511403591Schaefer, RT (2009) Sociology: A Brief Introduction (8th ed.) New York, NY: McGraw HillThornburgh, N. (2010). He takes Innocent back. Time, 175(21), 26-31. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.Use of the death penalty around the world. (2004). International Debates, 2(2), 34-64. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.