Death Penalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Death Penalty - Essay Example Examining the use of the death penalty, historical attributes and the different viewpoints shows that there are controversies that allow the penalty to continue to be practiced within society. The concept of the death penalty is one which continues to remain questionable, specifically because of the moral implications which are associated with this. Despite the debates, the penalty continues to be practiced within this time frame. The problem which is now arising is based on the intent of murder as well as the question of whether a life should be taken from an individual. The several debates show that there isn’t a way to justify the death penalty and the reason to kill an individual because of the crimes committed. The questions that arise from the debates as well as the problems which are continuing to arise with the circumstances within the death penalty are some of the many reasons that the death penalty is one which can’t be attributed or practiced in society. The death penalty first began in the United States in the 17th and 18th centuries when colonialism was still functioning as the main structure in society. The most common reasons for the death penalty ranged from treason to murder, burglary, counterfeiting or arson. The American colonies justified this because of the smaller communities which were trying to build and the several problems which arose when the communities were hindered by the difficulties which arose. The punishment system was also not in place, making the death penalty a reasonable option to stop the crimes in the community and to ensure that there were controls on those who committed crimes within the region. It was also known that the political and religious traditions were developing in a more conservative manner, which led to little debate over the death penalty and the approaches which many took when looking at the purpose used for this type of punishment. It wasn’t until the development of the United States at later time frames and in relation to the growth of prison systems that the alterations were made within the system (Banner, 2003). The death penalty is currently practiced by 34 states and is prohibited by 16 states. Out of these states, there were 1260 executions which were performed between the years of 1976 to 2011. It is noted that there are racial differences with those who are tried with the decision to face the death penalty with 56% being white, 7% Hispanic, 35% black and 2% other. It was also noted that there were frequent patterns between the race and the death penalty with the race of the victim and the race of the defendant making a difference in the number of executions which were performed by each state. Other demographics which are associated with this are inclusive of juveniles, which include 22 youth that have faced the death penalty, as well as several which have faced the death penalty while being diagnosed with mental illness. It has also been found that an av erage of 130 individuals was released from prison since 1973. They were tried for the death penalty and were later found as innocent (Death Penalty Info, 2011). The complexity with the death penalty first comes from the other facts that are based on the penalty and its effectiveness. The penalty was first used as a control for prisoners and as a way to stop individuals from causing complexities