The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty

According to US Federal Law, forty-one capital offenses are punishable by death. Of the fifty states, thirty-one practice capital punishment, a result of varying interpretations of the US Constitution in state and supreme court levels. Capital punishment is the execution of persons found guilty of a capital crime. Also known as the death penalty, it is a matter of life-and-death, submissive to the due process of law—a formal arrest and jury trial. The authorized methods for formal execution include lethal injection, electrocution, gas chamber, hanging, and firing squad; lethal injection is the primary method used in all thirty-one states. The death penalty is not an effective deterrent as it is a capital offense in itself. Murder is the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. Under no circumstance is taking a human life justifiable by law nor the basic principle of morality. The death penalty applies the literal meaning of the biblical saying, “An eye for an eye,” however, it does not take into account the sixth commandment, “Thou shall not murder”. Similarly, supporters of capital punishment hold a loose interpretation of law, more specifically the eighth amendments ban on

According to Carl M. Cannon, the White House correspondent for the National Journal, during his trial, Judy assured the jurors that if they did not vote in favor of capital punishment he would kill again someday. In this situation, to execute would be to comply to the wishes of a criminal, nonetheless an act of injustice. The death penalty cannot deter those with a preexisting death wish, moreover a life sentence to prison is the more effective. In reality, the death penalty holds no significance after the time of death; the executed are immediately relieved of liability, whereas a prisoner remains burdened by his or her own conscience for the remainder of their