Capital punishment has been part of the criminal justice system since the earliest of times. The United States remains in the minority of nations in the world that still uses death as penalty for certain crimes. In recent times opponents have held the death penalty to be barbaric, racist, and against American values. On the other hand, many see it as a necessary tool in fighting violent pre-meditated murder. It seems that both sides have good arguments and it is hard to determine which one is more important and should be upheld. I have to admit that I did not have a stand on capital punishment, and the issue seems to be a very serious one and at the same time quite controversial. Society??s support for the death penalty is waning, but there is still enough support in the United States to keep it legal in many states. In our country, dozens of people are put to death every year, and the method of capital punishment vary greatly.
No matter if it is a firing squad, gas chamber, electric chair, lethal injection, or guillotine, each and every way designed to kill a person is immoral and cruel. We criticize Saddam Hussein for killing his own people, yet we allow similar conduct in our country. Our society punishes a murderer by murdering him, as capital punishment is nothing but a legal murder. At the same time it tries to teach us that violence is wrong and does not solve problems. Yet our highest form of punishment is no different than the crime it is supposed to punish. There should always be accountability for crime and an effective deterrent in place, but killing someone who killed does not make much sense.
