The death penalty has been practiced around the world for many centuries. What is the death penalty? I will answer this question as well as go into some of the methods used now and in the past; we will also cover some of the arguments in favor of the death penalty as well as some of the arguments against the death penalty. The death penalty is a state-sanctioned murder that is used to punish a criminal for a variety of different terrible crimes that he or she might have committed in our society. The death penalty is most commonly handed down as punishment for the crime of murder. The idea of the death penalty ideally is to curb the behavior of the murderer or a lawbreaker so this behavior might not come from other people. Does this work? Is the death penalty the right way to deal with serious crime in our society and is it effective as a deterrent? The idea of putting another human to death is hard to completely imagine. The physical mechanics involved in the act of execution are easy to grasp, but the emotions involved in carrying out the death penalty on another person, regardless of how much they deserve it, are beyond my own understanding. However this act

Lawyers and money absolutely are not helping this country and its crime. People in this country should be able to trust each other, but it is sad that they cannot. Crime is something that nobody wants in this country, and we deserve to have that. Safety is also another feeling people deserve to have in this country; as long as drug dealers, gangs, and mobs are running the streets this country is a long way from that. I do not claim to have the solution to all of society’s problems, but I do not feel as if the death penalty is a legitimate punishment for very many crimes. Some people say condemning a person to death removes any possibility of rehabilitation. They are confident in the life-sentence presenting the possibility of rehabilitating the convict. I personally do not believe the state has any idea how to rehabilitate a person, because there are plenty of convicted murderers who kill again. The life-sentence is a myth because of overcrowding in prisons. Early parole has released convicted murderers and they still continue to kill. I acknowledge all of this, and I still feel that there has to be a healthier way of handling the punishment process. According to Stephen Nathanson, we must set an example of the behavior we find acceptable in society. He goes on to say that "even though this person has done wrong and even though we may be angry, outraged, and indignant with him, we will nonetheless control ourselves in a way that he did not. We will not kill him" (Nathanson).

Another concern I have with the death penalty is that capital punishment is sometimes unfair in its administration. Statistics show that the underprivileged and minorities are more likely to receive the death penalty. It cannot really be disputed, because the minorities and under privileged are more often prosecuted for capital crimes. We all are aware of the fact that females are hardly ever sentenced to death and executed, even though women committed 20 percent of all murders that have occurred in recent years. Second, a disproportionate number of nonwhites are sentenced to death and executed. Over 80% of persons executed were convicted of killing whites, although people of color make up over half of all homicide victims in the United States (NCADP). Ninety percent of the people U.S. Government prosecutors seek to execute are Black or Latino (NCADP). A large number of African Americans have always occupied the nation’s "death rows," considering the percentage of African Americans in the over all population (Dieter 144). And third, underprivileged and friendless defendants, those who are inexperienced or have court-appointed counsel, are most likely to be sentenced to death and executed. Sadly, the rich are more likely to get off with a lesser sentence, and this bias is wrong. Defenders of the death penalty argue that because nothing found in the laws of capital punishment causes sexist, racist, or class bias in its use, these kinds of discrimination are not sufficient reason for abolishing the death penalty. Today's system of capitol punishment is weighed down with inequalities and injustices. The common arguments in support of the death penalty are overflowing with holes. It satisfied the public need for retribution. It relieved the pain of the victim’s family. Realisticall

Some topics in this essay:
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