Abstract
The main arguments usually advanced by those who desire to abolish capital punishment are analyzed. The conclusion reached is that all these arguments are seriously flawed—so much so, as to cause one to wonder whether the abolitionists who espouse them are moved by unrecognized unconscious motives. The abolitionists, it is suggested, may unconsciously identify themselves with the criminals whose lives they seek to protect, rather than with the victims of these criminals, as do most law-abiding citizens. It is urged that the law concern itself not with meeting the presumed atypical unconscious emotional needs of the abolitionists, but with fulfilling the demands for justice of the vast majority of citizens.
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