For most crimes committed in the United States a fine, .
sentence of time in jail or execution is the punishment. However, the .
death penalty is the most questionable punishment. Is it morally .
right? Is it effective in deterring crime, primarily murders? Weather .
or not you agree if it is moral or not, one issue remains. The death .
penalty is not an effective way to deter crime.
The death penalty has existed as long as humans have .
existed. The quote "an eye for an eye" is found in the Bible. In the .
middle ages fines, public humiliation and imprisonment were .
appropriate punishments for all crimes, and death penalty for all .
murders. Today, Federal law states that the death penalty is to be .
enforced with convicted criminals for: treason; deserting armed .
forces during wartime; murder committed by a soldier; kidnapping and .
murder that involves crossing state lines; murder committed during an .
airplane hijacking; and of course, homicide. The death penalty is .
also called for punishment of for: attempting to kill anyone .
investigating or prosecuting his or her activities; advising, .
directing, authorizing or assisting in the murder of someone. Also, .
The Anti-Drug abuse act of 1988 calls for the death penalty for all .
drug related killings. Along with that, The bill amending sec. 848 .
to controlled substances act calls for the death penalty or life .
imprisonment for certain drug offences possession of 10 or more kg of .
heroin, cocaine, phencyclidine or analogue. Added to that, The drug .
kingpin act sates the use of death penalty for convicted major drug .
dealers caught with huge quantities of drugs, over 66 lbs. of heroin .
and 330 lbs. of cocaine. Even though there are these federal laws .
requiring the use of the death penalty for the crimes, State laws only .
consider one crime, murder, to be a capital offense. .
In the United States alone there have been 4047 executions .
since 1930, and 188 were from 1977-1996.
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