Question

When three states reinstituted capital punishment, the number of murders went down. in two states where capital punishment was repealed, murder rates went up. "capital punishment obviously deters murder" is a fallacious claim based on this evidence because?

Answer 1

Corelation does not determine causation. Several factors play into murder rates and overall crime rates that effect them. In traditional experimentation you change one thing as the variable and keep all other factors constant. In society we do not have the luxury of being able to change only obe variable. Also, a study of potential nation wide policy toward combating a problem should include more than just five data points.