The Death Penalty

For many years in society, capital punishment has been a controversial issue. The humanity of the process has challenged the moral standards of many Americans. Much of the controversy began shortly after passing the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution. The amendment states that "no cruel and unusual punishment should be afflicted" on any American citizen. Although methods of capital punishment used in the past were effective, modern methods used today, such as lethal injection, are more accepted by society as a whole.

Throughout history many different methods have been used in performing capital punishment. Among a few are hanging, burning, beheading, and electrocution, which is still used in some states today. Most of these methods brought about great pain, public humiliation, and lack of privacy for the individual being executed which raised questions in regards to the humanity of the process. For example, the pain sustained by an individual being burned is not a feeling any sane person would want to endure nor is being watched and ridiculed by hundreds sometimes thousands of spectators. The manner in which lethal injections are performed is undoubtedly more humane because the prisoner is given pain medication before being injected and toxin used is virtually painless. Also, the process takes place in a private room with few viewers, which should unquestionably deem it more socially acceptable.

Although the humanity of the process of lethal injection plays a large role in its acceptance, the confidence American's place in the legal system also plays a key role. In the past many nations have been ruled by kings or dictators, all too often allowing the fate of an individual to be placed solely in one person's hands and leaving room for great error in the process of sentencing. The American legal system states that one must be convicted of a crime by twelve jurors beyond a reasonable doubt before being sentenced to death, therefore almost completely removing the