Capital Punishment

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One of the most controversial topics that affects the United States and other nations in general is the death penalty and if it really is a proper way to serve justice. What really is the death penalty though? The death penalty is a legal process where an individual is sentenced to death as a way to punish him or her for his crime. The history of the death penalty is a long and brutal one. It dates back from the stoning and crucifixion killings of the B.C. era to today’s methods of the electric chair and lethal injection. Governments of many kinds have sentenced people to death for thousands of years. Thirty-five states in the United States of America currently practice the death penalty. The remaining 15 do not. For most practicing states, the death penalty is a response to first-degree murder along with one of several aggravating circumstances. The death penalty is one of the most controversial topics in American society today because many argue that capital punishment is immoral, uncivilized, and they claim that it is ineffective at bringing crime rates down. Some also believe that it gives the government the right to play god in a sense. Others believe that certain crimes are so severe and horrendous that the only proper punishment is death. (DP FOCUS) What is the purpose of punishment? They say we lead from one major source, our parents. When your young child does what he just saw in a Rambo movie, you give him a Shahaj 2 lecture about what is real and what is not, what is acceptable in real life and what is not. When your child tries some crazy wrestling move off a piece of furniture and hurts himself, you might spank him to be sure that he re... ... middle of paper ... ...s African-American. Attorney General Janet Reno said she was "sorely troubled" by the results of the report and has ordered United States attorneys to help explain the racial and ethnic disparities.” (Deputy Attorney Eric Holder )(NYT) The report also found that 40% of the 682 cases sent to the Justice Department for approval to seek the death penalty were filed by only five jurisdictions. "I can't help but be both personally and professionally disturbed by the numbers that we discuss today," said Deputy Attorney Eric Holder.” “one reading this report can help but be disturbed, troubled, by this disparity." (NYT)(Eric Holder) Based on all the statistics and racial views of this research it shows that most states show that the color of your skin or your race play a significant role on who will be punished with the death penalty or not.

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