Death Penalty

Should the Death Penalty be Abolished?


The first capital punishment laws date back as early as the 18th century. However it has existed much earlier than that as executions have been taking place since the beginning of time. As time has gone on society is getting more and more anti-death penalty. It has also become more and more controversial. People’s like for the death penalty has steadily decreased as well since the 1970’s. Most states require a murder conviction to be able to execute a death penalty sentence, most require first degree or capital murder. However some states can punish aggravated rape and even treason by the death penalty. It is much cheaper for a life sentence without parole compared to sentencing a prisoner to the death penalty. About 3 times more to be exact. It fails to deter crime as well. The northeast part of the U.S. accounts for only 1% of U.S. executions and the murder rate has decreased by almost 5%, where as the south accounts for ...