Does Severe Punishment Mean Less Criminality?

Historical and international data from criminal justice archives and recent victim surveys show that neither the death penalty nor long-term imprisonment significantly deters criminality. Punitivity is defined and demonstrated in law, public opinion, and social history, and political and economic institutions particularly are viewed as shaping it-for example, America's populism and Europe's elitism. America's harsh punitivity relative to other Western nations is examined and understood in terms of the historical roots of pro-death penalty and abolitionist regions. Within this discussion the findings of Savelsberg and Garland are carefully examined.