Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment is a difficult issue, and there are many different opinions. Each year there are numerous people added to death row and many are executed. The death penalty is the harshest form of punishment enforced in the United States today. Once a jury has convicted a criminal, 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 …

…white counterparts who commit the same crime. These considerations recently prompted a US Supreme Court Justice to change his own views on capital punishment and reject the practice. In addition to problems of class bias, the practice of capital punishment is further tainted by the tragic fact that innocent people are sometimes executed. Eliminating capital punishment not only prevents their wrongful execution, but gives them more time to clear their names and return to society.