Unintended consequences of the death penalty for child rapists

The Southeast Missourian newspaper reports that Governor Matt Blunt would like to extend the death penalty for child rapists. While child rape is a heinous crime, increasing the penalty might actually cause an increase in murders of children who have been raped. Economist Don Boudreaux argues that once a rapist commits the rape and they are subject to being executed if caught, the rapist has the incentive to get rid of the eyewitness. "Punishing rape less severely than murder ensures that rapists still have something more to lose if they kill their victims."