Capital Punishment is the most controversial form of punishment used today. You’ll always find plenty of discussion when the topic arises, whether it’s for or against it. It seems the debate will never end, with so many pro’s and con’s on the subject. An old saying that ties into it is: kill or be killed. The dilemma is enormous, how do we put a v

• Sometimes allows the innocent to be executed.

One main argument between those opposed and those for the death penalty is deterrence. Does the death penalty actually deter people from committing these crimes? Studies show between the years 1980 and 2000 the average murder rate in states with capital punishment ranged from 1.4 to 2 times as high as the murder rates for states with no death penalty. I guess the “con’s” win that one!

• Satisfies the publics demand for vengeance;

Proponents of the death penalty also bring to light that murderers, given the chance, may kill again. Murderers who are serving life sentences have killed other inmates and even prison guards within the facility. It’s also known that some inmates, in for murder, have escaped and killed again. So proponents ask: Why give them the chance? If we expect people to take responsibility for their own actions, then the consequences must be enforced.

Capital punishment will never be fair, just or even ethical. The reality shows that it is reserved for racial minorities, the mentally ill and those unable to afford a skillful attorney. Even racism plagues our criminal justice system on this issue. Fifty-five percent of the inmates who make up Americas’ death row population are colored, with 43 percent being black. Even status seems to play a determinant role in who will or will not be sent to death row. If you can’t afford a good attorney you may be more likely to receive the death penalty. It’s like the old cliché; you get what you pay for. There have been attorneys, on capital murder trials that are drunk, sleeping, inexperienced, and even biased who were later disbarred for their “performance” per se.

• Serves as retribution for horrific crimes;

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