A Call to End Capital Punishment

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Capital punishment is a very divisive topic in the United States and also in our home state of West Virginia. This is a topic that sparks passion within people about the equality and effectiveness of the American Judicial system. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion about this topic but the throbbing question that lingers in the air is that is it morally right? Capital punishment also known as the death penalty is the brutal ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime which might be murder or treason. The amounts of problems associated with capital punishment are massive, ranging from the innocent dying for a crime he/she never committed to racism, and the only way to resolve these problems is to eliminate capital punishment.

According to the online Webster dictionary capital punishment is defined as the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime, often called a capital offence or a capital crime. In those jurisdictions that practice capital punishment, its use is usually restricted to a small number of criminal offences, principally, treason and premeditated murder. This method of punishment is practiced differently among the fifty states in the U.S. In the 38 states and federal government that currently have death penalty statutes, five different methods of execution are prescribed: Lethal Injection, Electrocution, Lethal Gas, Firing Squad, and Hanging. The vast majority of jurisdictions provide for execution by lethal injection. 20 jurisdictions provide for alternative methods of execution, contingent upon the choice of the inmate, the date of the execution or sentence, or the possibility of the method being held unconstitutional. Only one state does not have l...

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...rks Cited
Alexander, Williams Jr. Christian ethics and capital punishment: A reflection. Journal of Religious Thought, Summer92/Fall92, Vol. 49 Issue 1, p59, 19p; (AN 9604292088)

Death Penalty Information Center. Cost of the Death Penalty. 2007. 01November 2007.http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=108#FromDPIC

Kuttner, Benjamin. A Legal Quest against the Death Penalty. New York Times, 1/2/2005, Vol. 154 Issue 53082, p19-20, 999p, 1c; (AN 15641973)

Prejan, Helen. No peace in vengeance. Commonweal, 11/19/93, Vol. 120 Issue 20, p30.

Sherill, Laura J.; Pierce .Arbitrariness and Discrimination under Post-Furman Capital Statutes. Crime & Delinquency, Oct80, Vol. 26 Issue 4, p13, 73p, 19 charts; (AN 5335329

Webster dictionary. Capital Punishment. 2007. 01 November 2007.

http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/capital punishment

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