Capital Punishment In The United States

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Capital Punishment in the United States

Executive Summary

Capital punishment has been around for many years as a way of executing criminals. Despite what most believe, capital punishment is not functional in the American society. Defenders of the death penalty often claim that the execution of criminals will teach others not to do bad, initially decreasing crime rates. Unfortunately, statistics prove that thought to be wrong. Capital punishment also has great flaws. For example, many innocent people have been put to death because of capital punishment. There also is no consistency. Two of the same crimes can be convicted in two different states and the consequences with be different for both offenders. The death penalty shows to be inadequate in our society with its unfair application among different races. Capital punishment is also not fair for the poor who don’t have the money to hire a good attorney. Defenders of the death penalty might not know how costly it is to have a criminal on death row. This is money that is coming out of tax payer’s pockets. Besides all the other facts about why capital punishment is wrong, there is one last point that is most important, everyone should have the right to live.

Capital Punishment in the U.S

Capital punishment has been around for thousands of years as a way of executing criminals. Methods of executing have evolved as well. From stoning, hanging, electrocuting, to the present day lethal injections, society has made these legal killings faster and easier. Huge debates have formed off this long forgotten form of punishment. Several supporters claim that the death penalty is just a systematic approach to the concept of “an eye for an eye”. Mean while, the opposers of the death ...

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...less. We must consider what is most efficient for the way in which we live our life. Capital punishment is not functional in today’s twisted society and corrupt legal system. These legal killings are ineffective and there is relevant evidence to prove it. We as Americans need to take a stand and realize what is taking place before it is too late.

Works Citied

Cook, Derek. The Death Penalty is Unjust. London: F. Newberry, 1993.

Costanzo, Mark. Just Revenge. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1997.

Gonzales, Richard. “How about ‘just the facts’?” Grits for Breakfast. 17 Oct. 2004. 1 March 2006.

http://gritsfor breakfast.blogspot.com

Radelet, Michael L. Innocent People Have Been Executed. California: Northeastern University Press, 1992.

Rothman, Stanley. Racial Discrimination and the Administration of the Death Penalty. California: Public Interest, 1994.

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