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Death Penalty in the United States
Today, the death penalty remains an effective method of punishment for murder and other heinous crimes. Capital punishment, whose definition is “the use of death as a legally sanctioned punishment” is an acceptable and efficient means of deterring crime. Currently capital punishment is practiced in most states and by the federal government in the United States. Thirty-eight of the fifty states allow the death penalty but each state using it had different laws regarding its methods, age limits, and crimes which qualify. Most commonly, the death penalty is challenged as a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which states that the U.S. cannot use “cruel and unusual” punishment. Due to the fact that “punishment” is a legal infliction of suffering, it must be somewhat cruel. As for it being unusual, it is anything but, due to the long history of its usage. People will plunder, take advantage of others, and commit crimes and long as it is in their best interests to do so. The purpose of our entire criminal justice system is to protect the rights of life, liberty, and property. To do this, the punishment for the crime must be harsh enough to deter potential criminals. Under this mindset, the death penalty makes perfect sense. Crime is an evident part of society, and everyone is aware that something must be done about it. Therefore, the death penalty should not be banned in the United States because it serves as a justified and valid form of punishment.



About 75 percent of the American public believes in the death penalty.(Harris Interactive Poll, 2008) It is a punishment that truly attempts to match the punishment with the crime. It certainly stops the criminal from committing it again, and the use of the death penalty is intended to deter other criminals from committing a similar crime. There are some defendants who have committed crimes that have justified the ultimate punishment our society has to...