... Since the winter of 1936, the debate over capital
punishment has swayed from great public support to meager numbers of
proponents. ... Since this first capital punishment poll, there have
been many others. A poll in 1966 indicated an all-time low in capital
punishment approval ratings when support fell to 42 percent. Since then,
support of capital punishment in the United States has grown an average of
more than one percentage point a year. Surprisingly, in no year in which
capital punishment polls were conducted, has a majority of Americans opposed
the death penalty. ... Public support for the
death penalty has remained high; however, by government standards, capital
punishment is regarded as cruel and unusual. The 8th Amendment to the
Constitution provides protection from such punishment declared cruel and
unusual. ... All of these things would definitely appear cruel and unusual to
people today, the list of overly harsh punishments was expanded in 1947,
after the electric chair failed to work twice in capital punishment
executions. It was banned from use and declared another form of cruel and
unusual punishment. Therefore, it should be visible that with the expanding
definition of cruel and unusual punishment and the evolving standards of decency that
capital punishment by its very nature is cruel and unusual punishment and should be
forbidden. Society as a whole, has always felt a need to play judge over
each of its members which demonstrated by the employment of capital punishment
dating back to the Middle Ages. ... Capital punishment has no place in a society where government protects the people from any unnecessary harm and morality proves capital punishment unjustifiable and wrong.
Proponents of the death penalty have always insisted that capital punishment
is a stronghold of our society in protecting the people, and have often based
their arguments on providing for the good of society. ... Opponents of capital punishment suggest that the death
penalty does not deter crime. However, Allen, in his article Capital
Punishment: Your Protection and Mine, states that there is no definitive
proof that the death penalty is not a deterrent and therefore, capital
punishment does deter crime.
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