There has been many controversies in the history of the United Stats, ranging from abortion to gun control, but capital punishment has been one of the most hotly contested issues in recent decades. Today’s system of capital punishment is frought with inequalities. The commonly offered arguments for the death penalty are filled with holes. “It was a deterrent. It removed killers. It was the ultimate punishment. It is biblical. It satisfied the public’s need for retribution. It relieved the anguish of the victim’s family.” (Grisham 120) Realistically, imposing the death penalty is expensive and time consuming. Retroactively, it has yet to be proven as a deterrent. Morally is a continuation of the cycle of violence and “…degrades all who are involved in its enforcement, as well as its victim.” ( Stewart 1 ) The usual alternative to the death penalty is life-long imprisonment.

Perhaps the most frequent argument for capital punishment is that of deterrence. The prevailing thought is that imposition of the death penalty will act to dissuade other criminals from committing violent acts. Numerous studies have been created attempting to prove this belief; however, “all the e

urdering someone else simply on the basis that they deserved it? Government has the right and duty to protect the greater good against people, who jeopardize the welfare of society, but a killer can be sentenced to life without chance of parole and society will be just as safe as if he had been executed.

“Revenge is an unworthy motive for our society to pursue.” (Whittier 1) In our society, there is a great expectation placed on the family on the victim to pursue vengeance to the highest degree – the death penalty. Pat Bane, executive director of the Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation (MVFR), stated, “one parent told me that people made her feel like she was betraying her son because she did not want to kill the person who murdered him.” (Frame 50) This creates a dilemma of morality. If anything, by forcing families to seek the death penalty, their own consciences will be burdened by the death of the killer. Furthermore, “killing him will not bring back your son.” (Grisham 402) At some point, man must stop the violence. Seeking temporary gratification is not a logical basis for whether the death penalty should be imposed. Granted, revenge is easily confused with retribution, and most would agree that the punishment should fit the crime, but can society really justify m!

In earlier times – where capital punishment was common, the value of life was less, and societies were more barbaric – capital punishment was probably quite acceptable. However, in today’s society, which is becoming ever more increasingly humanitarian, and individual rights and due process of justice are held in high accord, the death penalty is becoming an unrealistic form of punishment. Also, with ever present possibility of mistaken execution, then will remain the question of innocence of those put to death. Finally, man is not a divine being. He does not have the right to inflict mortal punishment in the name of society’s welfare when there are suitable substitutes that require fewer resources. I ask society, “…Why don’t we stop the killing?” (Grisham 404)

In the 1970’s, a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions made the death penalty in the U.S. unconstitutional, it is mandatory, if it is imposed without providing courts with adequate guidance to make the right decision in the severity of the sentence, or if it is imposed for a crime that does not take or threaten the life of another human being. The death penalty was also confined to crimes of murder, including felony murder. A felony murder is any homicide committed in the course of committing another felony, such as rape or robbery. After the 1972 court ruling that all but a few capital statuses were unconstitutional, thirty-seven states revised and reenacted their death penalty laws. In 1989 the Supreme Cour

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