Pros And Cons Of Capital Punishment In The United States

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In the United States, it is a common practice to punish those who are convicted of committing a crime. Punishment is used as a form of social control. For some, the threat of being punished deters them from engaging in criminal activities. However, if a crime is committed, the violator is taken out of society and cannot commit crimes while incarcerated. Some punishments also consist of a rehabilitation component. If successfully rehabilitated, the criminal can be returned to society and not be a theat. Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty, prevents an offender from reoffending ever again. It also takes away the chance for a person to be rehabilitated.
The death penalty is an established practice in the United States. The …show more content…

For example, blacks make up 12 percent of the American population; however, they make up 48 percent of the prison population. These numbers have led to claims of over arrest in minorities, more persistent prosecution, and more severe sentences (Gray-Ray, Ray, Rutland, and Turner 1995). In the United States, the race of the defendant and the race of the victim play a major role in determining who is sentenced to die for a crime. Those who murder whites have a higher chance of being sentenced to death than those who kill blacks. In addition, 80% of individuals executed since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976 have been executed for murders involving white victims, despite the fact that blacks and whites are murder victims in almost even numbers of crimes (The United States Department of Justice 2014).
The institutionalized discrimination of the justice system makes a silent statement that some lives have more value than do others. This is supported by the disproportional percentage of blacks put to death by the justice system, especially when the victim is white. It is something done, consciously or subconsciously, that reflects the large distance our society remains from true

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