In the colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1608, the first execution in America took place (Urbina 8). Since then, the debate over capital punishment has been endless, capturing the attention of citizens of all stripes. Americans have argued incessantly about many issues that the death penalty brings to politics, economics and moral values. In the article entitled “Does the death penalty save lives? A New Debate,” Adam Liptak explores both sides of the debate, highlighting the benefits the death penalty offers to society. He claims that the death penalty discourages murder and accepts that innocent men may become victims in the process. However, other experts disagree with Liptak. Opposing research shows that the death penalty does not deter murder and unfairly executes the innocent, making capital punishment unfit for a civilized nation. Some experts, including H. Naci Mocan, Gary Becker, and Cass R. Sunstein, firmly believe that the death penalty has a net positive influence on deterring homicides (Liptak A1). While they all agree with this statement, they provide different statistics on the number of murders deterred by capital punishment, making their work seem inaccurate and sloppy. While Mocan found that each execution saves five lives, other research shows that up to 18 lives can actually be saved (Liptak A1). That's a difference of thirteen lives, or about seventy-two percent, which is a huge discrepancy. Furthermore, other experts strongly disagree that the death penalty is a deterrent. Researchers at the University of Florida interviewed sixty-seven current and former presidents of the three major criminological organizations and found an extremely contradictory result compared to the research of Mocan and the... newspaper medium... Newsstand. Network. October 3, 2011.Moye, Laura. “NOTHING CAN JUSTIFY THE EXECUTION OF INNOCENTS.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution. [Atlanta, GA] March 21, 2003: A19. Infotrac newsstand. Network. 13 October 2011. “RESEARCH: THE DEATH PENALTY DOES NOT DETERMINE VIOLENCE 90% OF THE EXPERTS QUESTIONED SAY THAT THE DEATH PENALTY IS A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY”. Rocky Mountain News. [Denver, CO] January 16, 1997: 3A. Infotrac newsstand. Network. October 12, 2011. Rohatyn, Felix G.. “The Shadow Over America.” Newsweek. 135.22 (2000): 27. OmniFile Full text Mega. Network. October 14, 2011. "The danger of executing the innocent." New York Times. January 1995. Infotrac Newsstand. Network. October 13, 2011.Urbina, Ian. “The cost of capital punishment: Death penalty opponents use a new argument to address tough economic times: that capital punishment is too expensive.” The New York Times in advance. April 20, 2009: 8+. Infotrac newsstand. Network. 11 October. 2011.