Abstract
The death penalty has been a major issue of debate within the American criminal justice system for hundreds of years. Although it has undergone several reforms, its violation of human rights remains questionable. This study shows the public opinion and evolution of the death penalty over the past one hundred years, and a prediction for the future.
Death Penalty in the United States
The death penalty was first established in the Eighteenth Century B.C. It was originally used to cover punishment for over 25 different crimes. Over half the countries in the world have practiced the punishment of death penalty. Many of these methods included drowning, crucifixion, burying alive, impaling, poising, shooting, beheading, lethal injection, beheading, and suffocating. These ancient practices were brutal and inhumane. These cruel acts of punishments carried on until the English Bill of Rights of 1689 was put into place. The English Bill of Rights of 1689 was similar to the United States Constitution regarding the first eight amendments. The main purpose of this bill is to grant the people basic human rights for freedom of speech, right to bear arms for defense and be granted the right to a democratic process which would limit the Monarch rule. It forbid the use of cruel and unusual punishments and made it possible for citizens to voice their opinions without fear of strict punishment for speaking out against the hierarchy. This bill is still in use today in the American Constitution and has had a large impact on the nature of the death penalty and has influenced the way people view the death penalty.
There are unlimited differences in the way the death penalty is viewed by Americans today. There are those that agree with the punishment and there are those who disagree. Some view it as an act of justice and others view it as inhumane and downright murder. For many years the death penalty has raised several concerns on...