The death penalty may be one of the most controversial social problems that exist today in the United States. There has never been a direct compromise, whether the death penalty works when enforced, and there will probably never be one. From the Pro- Death Penalty groups to the Anti-Penalty groups, there are many facts, and different opinions on this subject, but whether the death penalty is what America needs may never be answered. .
The Death penalty is often viewed as an appropriate means of punishment for a deadly crime. It claims to be the cheapest and most affective form of punishment. It's said that by abolishing the death penalty the crime rate will increase. Many Pro-Death Groups state that's it's cheaper to execute the offender, also claiming, it would be a burden lifted off the victims family. Are these statements really the truth? Just how wrong is the death penalty?.
The rise of crime makes it clear that there must be something done to punish criminals in the United States. However, it is a belief that the death penalty is not the answer. In fact, 64 percent of Americans oppose the death penalty (Hood, Robin. Death Penalty: A Worldwide Perspective). Why then, do we continue to kill people for committing deadly crimes? Perhaps it is because Americans feel they do not have a voice in the judicial system. It is time that we stand up for what we believe is right. Capital punishment is the ultimate denial of civil liberties. It clearly violates our right to live life free of cruel and unusual punishment.
The most fundamental belief, of Anti- capital punishment groups, is that sentencing someone to death does nothing to heal the victim's family. While it may meet their desire for revenge, it does not bring their loved one back.
The death penalty does little to deter crime. In countries that have abolished capital punishment, homicide rates have actually declined. In Canada, the homicide rate has fallen 42 percent since the death penalty was abolished in 1975 (www.