Political and Social Debate of the Death Penalty

There continues to be a great deal of debate surrounding the use of the death penalty in the United States. Both individuals who support and oppose the death penalty have developed valid arguments to support their side of the debate. Individuals who are pro-death penalty raise various acceptable points about the necessity of the death penalty. The death penalty is generally reserved for individuals who are responsible for committing aggravated offenses. Despite the fact that many of these points are valid, there are many individuals who oppose the death penalty for reasons of equal merit. Capital punishment is the most severe punishment that a criminal can be sentenced to. Of course, it is an irrevocable punishment, and thus, once the death penalty is carried out it can never be reversed. Individuals who oppose the death penalty argue that humans are not perfect and that they make many mistakes. Data and information related to capital punishment indicate that individuals of minority racial groups make up the majority of death row inmates. It is very rare to find a wealthy individual or an educated professional on death row, even if he or she is responsible for killing another individual. Each of these points has merit and they illustrate many of the problems that exist with capital punishment in the United States. As each side of this debate has developed compelling arguments, the debate surrounding capital punishment is likely to continue for a long period of time.