The Death Penalty; Capital Punishment.

            

             The most controversial punishment given in the United States today is the death penalty, capital punishment. It's always interesting to read about the death penalty, but when I really think about it, that seems like an unjust thing to do. I feel that the death penalty does not deter people from committing capital crimes. Using the death penalty as a source of punishment can result in innocent people being executed. Let me explain why I feel very uneasy about the death penalty as means of punishment. .

             The fundamental question that is raised by the death penalty is whether or not it is an effective deterrent to violent crime or whether it is more effective than the alternative of long-term imprisonment. With the execution rate still on the rise, many people are still committing capital crimes. The average murder rate of the United States has increased by more than 5% within the past fifteen years (Sandholzer). For every person being executed, there is at least one other person committing another capital crime. This is why I believe that the death penalty is not a fear tactic for criminals. The death penalty is in effect in 39 of the 50 states and the murder rate is still on the rise. Don't you think there is something wrong with this picture? The death penalty is not serving its purpose. . There are too many people out in society today that have been imprisoned for a capital crime, but some how they find their way out. Currently 500+ inmates held at San Quentin State Prison are on death row (Sandholzer). Also limitations have began to be placed on the number and the type of offenses for which criminals were put to death (Britanica). So when and where will the limitations stop? How will we know that the person being executed, is being rightfully executed?.

             The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy states that those who argue against the death penalty as a deterrent to crime cite the following: Adjacent states, in which one has a death penalty and the other does not, show no significant long-term differences in the murder rate.