The Death Penalty Is Something That Has Been Debated For

The death penalty is something that has been debated for many years, as people wonder whether carrying out the death penalty constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. The definition of cruel and unusual punishment includes deliberately degrading punishment, such as torture or a punishment that is to sever for the crime committed. I believe the death penalty to be inhumane and unnecessary no matter the circumstances. Whether how horrible acts of the criminals are I feel the death penalty is unethical. Clearly, those in favor of the death penalty see the world through the saying â€Å"an eye for an eye† or the justification from the idea of retribution. Retribution is like justice such as people are punished because they deserved to be punished†¦show more content†¦On December 14, 2009, Kenneth Biros from Ohio was sentenced to death by lethal injection. However, instead of the tradition three-drug combination executioners used one drug. During the process â€Å"it took executioners thirty minutes to find a vein for the needle, compared with the two hours spend hunting for a vein on the last prisoner Ohio tried to kill, Romell Broom.† (New York Times, 2009) The other prisoner Broom was due for lethal injection but, after eighteen attempts the executioners gave up. One of the most memorable botched executions was of Frank J. Coppola who was sentenced to death by electric chair on August 10th, 1982. After an excruciating 55-seconds of the only the first jolt of electricity, Frank was still alive. Finally, a second jolt of electricity was activated. all together producing enough power to start burning away his hair, clothes, and his whole body filling the room with smoke and the awful smell of burning flesh. Clearly showing the long, horrible process the death penalty must go through is a cruel process that shouldn’t be allowed in the United States. Today’s justice system is a complex system that has many problems and isn’t perfect. The hardest part of the justice system today is to determine if an individual is guilty or innocent. The death penalty is thought to sway or scare individuals into following the law and to avoid the chance of being put to death. The death penalty is an invalid act set towardsShow MoreRelatedCapital Punishment : A Controversial Issue957 Words   |  4 Pages Capital punishment has been a controversial issue that still exists in America today. Capital punishment is a law passed by the government to punish any individual that has been convicted of committed a heinous crime. The death penalty has been a method used throughout history as punishment for criminals. The punishment also known as the death penalty is a scheduled execution, which would be done with lethal injection. 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