Capital Punishment in America
The capital punishment debate revolves mainly around the question of whether or not governments have the right to take the lives of their people.
Capital punishment, or the death penalty, has existed as long as societies and tribes have existed. As long as people who shared common traits gathered, forms of social control were used to regulate and control the population.
The death penalty has also existed in America since she was formed. Spies were hanged and witches were burned at the stakes. In modern times, capital punishment in America is meant to deter people from committing the most heinous crimes, like murder or rape. It should be noted, however, that there was an official suspension of the use of the death penalty between 1972 and 1976 when the U.S. Supreme Court found it to be unconstitutional. The popularity of the death penalty has fluctuated in America for decades. Today it is up to each individual state whether or not they want to allow capital punishment in their criminal justice systems. The federal government has reserved its right to execute those found guilty of certain federal crimes.
As of 2009, the following U.S. states do not have death penalty statutes on the books:
| Alaska | New Mexico |
| Hawaii | New York |
| Iowa | North Dakota |
| Maine | Rhode Island |
| Massachusetts | Vermont |
| Michigan | West Virginia |
| Minnesota | Wisconsin |
| New Jersey |
Various arguments exist for and against capital punishment. The largest argument for capital punishment seems to be the fact that the punishment acts as a deterrent to crime. It tells the citizens of a community that if a crime is committed the perpetrator will be dealt with justly. This is believed to deter others from wanting to commit similar crimes.
Those who argue against capital punishment believe that the possibility that an innocent person can be executed is too great. It was not until science learned how to identify people with DNA did this argument began to gain momentum. Non-profit organizations and law clubs around the country were using DNA evidence to clear the names of individuals wrongfully sentenced to die by the courts. The research that was being conducted also proved that innocent prisoners had already been executed.
