Is there racial discrimination that applies to executions?

Unfortunately, there is a great deal of racial discrimination in the trials determining whether or not a person is to be executed for committing a crime. Although one may think that a person is more likely to be executed if they are of another race, such as African American, Hispanic, Asian, etc, this is not necessarily the case nor concern. The discrimination lies within the crime itself. Blacks and whites are murder victims an equal amount of the time. However, murders attract more attention if the victim is white regardless of the race of the murderer. Therefore, studies show that roughly 80% of executed people since the reinstatement of the death penalty have been involved in murders of white victims. Therefore, if someone is given a trial to decide whether or not they should be executed for murder, their chances of receiving a lethal injection greatly increases if the victim of their crime is white regardless of the race of the perpetrator.

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/race-and-death-penalty

Is the pro-life, anti-abortionist consistent in supporting executions?

Those who claim to be pro-life or anti-abortionist are against abortions in order to kill infants before they are even born. The fact that people who are pro-life would be for the death penalty is a little hypocritical. They won't allow taking life away from a person who has yet to experience it, but they are willing to put someone who is already living to death. However, this situation is understandable because they believe that everyone deserves a chance to experience an "innocent" lifestyle because they believe that God wants everyone to have a chance at life. Those that are on death row have already had this opportunity, and they chose to mess it up. Therefore, those who are pro-life believe that those people do not deserve to live any longer. I would hardly this consistent in their beliefs, but it is understandable as to the contradiction of it all.

ttp://www.roman-catholic.com/Roman/Articles/CapitalPunishment.htm

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/03/03/midmorning1/

Is it wrong to be concerned about executing innocent people?

I believe that it is perfectly normal to be concerned with innocent people being put to death. Everyday, innocent people are put into jail simply because they have no proof that they should not be there. Unfortunately, some of these accusations are rather severe. If someone were to be put up on trial for the death penalty, and they lacked substantial proof to prove their innocence, they would be put to death unfairly while the person who actually committed the crime is alive and probably continuing their criminal lifestyle. Since 1973, about 69 people have been proven innocent and released from death row. That is 69 lives that, without a trial, would have been put to death unjustly. What about those who could not provide enough evidence to prove their innocence? It is completely understandable to be worried about these people being executed leaving criminals alive and out of jail.















http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/node/523

Is it wrong to consider the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment?

The United States Constitution, under the eighth amendment, forbids any "cruel and unusual" punishment. Cruel punishments include dismemberment and other painful acts. Acts considered unusual pertain to unfair penalties such as if two people commit the same exact crime and the punishment of one is vastly worse. Depending upon the way in which the death penalty is gone about, it is not wrong to consider it to be cruel and unusual. Lethal injection, including little pain in order to put the criminal to death, would not necessarily be considered in this manner. However, that depends greatly upon one's personal definition of cruel. Personally, I think the death penalty would only be considered in this way if it involved public humiliation and excruciating pain.


















http://thisnation.com/question/018.html

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