Capital Punishment

When asked whether they prefer to keep or abolish the death penalty, about 60 to 80% of American adults say that they want to retain capital punishment. Numbers vary depending upon the precise wording of the question asked by the pollsters. When asked whether they would like to see executions continue or have them replaced with a system that guaranteed:

Each year there are about 250 people added to death row and 35 executed. The death penalty is the harshest form of punishment enforced in the United Sates today. Once a jury has convicted a criminal offence they go to the second part of the trial, the punishment phase. If the jury recommends the death penalty and the judge agrees, then the criminal will face some form of execution, lethal injection is the most common form used today. There was a period from 1972 to 1976 that capital punishment was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Their reason for this decision was that the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment under the eighth amendment. The decision was reversed when new methods of execution were introduced.

Capital punishment is a difficult issue and there are as many different opinions as there are people. In our project, both sides have been presented and argued with focus on several topics as listed below. This page was constructed to show the different opinions held by the members of our group. There is plenty of useful information within our work. We hope you find it helpful and informative.

How is the death penalty a punishment that fits the crime? Well, not every prisoner deserves the death penalty. People who kill someone in self-defence should not be treated as one who kills just for the sake of killing.

How is the death penalty a punishment that fits the crime? Well, not every prisoner deserves the death penalty. People who kill someone in self-defence should not be treated as one who kills just for the sake of killing.

Another reason that many people are against the death penalty is that they feel that innocent people will be wrongfully executed all in the name of justice.