Capital Punishment

One of the most controversial topics that affects the United States and other nations in

general is the death penalty and if it really is a proper way to serve justice. What really is the

death penalty though? The death penalty is a legal process where an individual is sentenced to

death as a way to punish him or her for his crime. The history of the death penalty is a long and

brutal one. It dates back from the stoning and crucifixion killings of the B.C. era to today’s

methods of the electric chair and lethal injection. Governments of many kinds have sentenced

people to death for thousands of years. Thirty-five states in the United States of America

currently practice the death penalty. The remaining 15 do not. For most practicing states, the

death penalty is a response to first-degree murder along with one of several aggravating

circumstances. The death penalty is one of the most controversial topics in American society

today because many argue that capital punishment is immoral, uncivilized, and they claim that it

is ineffective at bringing crime rates down. Some also believe that it gives the government the

right to play god in a sense. Others believe that certain crimes are so severe and horrendous that

the only proper punishment is death. (DP FOCUS)

What is the purpose of punishment? They say we lead from one major source, our

parents. When your young child does what he just saw in a Rambo movie, you give him a

Shahaj 2

lecture about what is real and what is not, what is acceptable in real life and what is not. When

your child tries some crazy wrestling move off a piece of furniture and hurts himself, you might

spank him to be sure that he re...

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...s African-American. Attorney General Janet Reno said she was "sorely troubled"

by the results of the report and has ordered United States attorneys to help explain the racial and

ethnic disparities.” (Deputy Attorney Eric Holder )(NYT) The report also found that 40% of the

682 cases sent to the Justice Department for approval to seek the death penalty were filed by

only five jurisdictions. "I can't help but be both personally and professionally disturbed by the

numbers that we discuss today," said Deputy Attorney Eric Holder.” “one reading this report can

help but be disturbed, troubled, by this disparity." (NYT)(Eric Holder) Based on all the statistics

and racial views of this research it shows that most states show that the color of your skin or

your race play a significant role on who will be punished with the death penalty or not.