chicklittle
For 2008, the average Murder Rate of Death Penalty States in the US was 5.2, while the average Murder Rate of States without the Death Penalty was 3.3. So looks as though having the death penalty means a higher murder rate. The 20 US states with the highest murder rate also have the death penalty.
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/murder-rates-nationally-and-state
