Capital Punishment: Is It Cruel and Unusual Punishment?
Abstract Is capital punishment and the death penalty cruel and usual punishment? Should the death penalty be abolished completely? Is capital punishment a real deterrent to crime and homicide incidents? How many innocent people are victims of the death penalty, and how many may actually be innocent? These questions are still in debate not only in the United States (U.S.) but around the world. Many people believe it is a needed part of our society to detour and control the crime rate of murders and rapes. In many other people 's opinions living with your unlawful actions in prison for the rest of your life would be a punishment greater than death; however, many people think the death penalty is justified for certain crimes. Taking another person’s life surely cannot be the answer to control crime. Is the death penalty justifiable for certain unspeakable crimes such as rape and murder, or a combination of both? Is capital punishment a deterrent and does it, in fact, lower homicide rates?
Introduction
The first execution of record in the United States (U.S) took place in Jamestown, Virginia in December 1607. Death penalty statistics started being recorded regularly in the 1930s. From 1930 through 1967, there were 3,859 persons executed under civil jurisdiction. In 1972, the U.S Supreme Court struck down federal and state capital punishment laws, both federal and state. 600 inmates who had been sentenced to death between 1967 and 1972 were lifted. The death penalty was reinstated by the United States Supreme Court in 1976, with a mandatory death penalty sentence for specific crimes (http://justice.uaa.alaska.edu/death/history.html). Death Penalty and the Innocent There have been many people convicted and sentenced to death that were innocent. Since 1973, twelve hundred people were executed, 140 people were released from death row across the country due to new evidence proving wrongful conviction. These are a few of leading causes
Introduction
The first execution of record in the United States (U.S) took place in Jamestown, Virginia in December 1607. Death penalty statistics started being recorded regularly in the 1930s. From 1930 through 1967, there were 3,859 persons executed under civil jurisdiction. In 1972, the U.S Supreme Court struck down federal and state capital punishment laws, both federal and state. 600 inmates who had been sentenced to death between 1967 and 1972 were lifted. The death penalty was reinstated by the United States Supreme Court in 1976, with a mandatory death penalty sentence for specific crimes (http://justice.uaa.alaska.edu/death/history.html). Death Penalty and the Innocent There have been many people convicted and sentenced to death that were innocent. Since 1973, twelve hundred people were executed, 140 people were released from death row across the country due to new evidence proving wrongful conviction. These are a few of leading causes
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