The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, is the most extreme punishment a government can inflict on its own people. Currently, only eight-six countries have completely abolished the use of capital punishment, while seventy-four countries continue to use it to some extent. Throughout history, controversy over the necessity of using the death penalty has continued. Many oppose the death penalty on moral and ethical grounds, but it must be kept in mind that capital punishment is not an excessive and unnecessary form of punishment for those who knowingly and intentionally commit a serious crime with premeditation and that the words “kill,” “murder” and “execute” are not interchangeable. Once a person crosses the line into serious crime, they effectively give up their right to life. This is why, in my opinion, the death penalty is necessary to act as a deterrent to crime, to demand justice for monstrous crimes and to overall ensure the security of society. The death penalty is a more effective deterrent than life imprisonment. Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between the use of capital punishment and future homicide rates. According to research by Roy D. Adler and Michael Summers, professors at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, it was found that "when executions increased, homicides decreased the following year." Conversely, when executions stabilized, the murder rate climbed the following year…each execution [in the United States between 1979 and 2004] was associated with seventy-four fewer murders the following year. » (J. 33) With this direct correlation, it is proven that the death penalty can actually deter crime because it is proven using...... middle of paper ......penalty of death for death: Okay." The Death Penalty A Curriculum for High School Students and Teachers. Michigan State University Comm Lab and Death Penalty Information Center, nd Web. July 30, 2011. .Andre, Claire and Manuel Velasquez." Capital Punishment: Our Duty or Our Doom?" Phil for Humanity. Phil for Humanity, nd Web July 27, 2011.E., Mary. Capital Punishment. Print.J., Does the Death Penalty Deter Crime. ?. Referencepoint Pr Inc, 2009. Print. Stearman, Kaye Central, 2007. Print..