Death Penalty

Introduction

Capital punishment in the United States varies by jurisdiction. In practice it applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder or contract killing. Capital punishment existed in the colonies that predated the United States and that were later annexed to the United States under the laws of their mother countries and continued to have effect in the states and territories they became.
The methods of execution and the crimes subject to the penalty vary by jurisdiction and have varied widely throughout time. Some jurisdictions have banned it, others have suspended its use, but others are trying to expand its applicability. There were 37 executions in 2008. That is the lowest number since 1994 (largely due to lethal injection litigation). There were 52 executions in the United States in 2009, 51 by lethal injection and 1 by electric chair (Virginia).

II. Actuality

Controversy

Capital punishment is a controversial issue, with many prominent organizations and individuals participating in the debate. The United States is one of only three industrialized democracies that still have it. From the others, Japan and South Korea execut prisoners regularly as well. Arguments for and against capital punishment are based on moral, practical, and religious grounds.

Various groups oppose or support capital punishment.

→ Advocates of the death penalty argue that it deters crime, is a good tool for prosecutors (in plea bargaining for example - negociation de plaidoyer), improves the community by making sure that convicted criminals do not offend again, and is a just penalty for their crime. Amnesty International and some religions oppose capital punishment on moral grounds, while the Innocence Project works to free wrongly convicted prisoners, including death row inmates, based on newly available DNA tests. → Opponents argue that the death penalty is not an effective means of deterring crime, is