The death penalty also known as “Capital punishment” has been around for decades and has been used throughout the years against people who have been convicted of committing horrendous crimes such as first-degree murder. Almost all countries in the world have the death penalty or have had it at one point, but most nations have since abolished the practice of the death penalty because it is inhumane and violates human rights. The united states of America is one of many countries that still practices the death penalty to this day and it continues to be a hot button issue of controversy among its citizens. Most Americans have a very strong point of view when it comes to the death penalty, no matter which side of the debate they belong too. Supporters …show more content…
Many individuals who are likely to be placed on the death row or to be executed are poor, minorities or people who belong to certain racial, ethnic or religious groups because of the blatant prejudice that is within our justice system. For example, a person of color is more likely to be executed for the same or similar crimes to that of a white defendant which is injustice at its peak for a nation that pledges justice for all. These same individuals are also faced with difficulties to access legal resources they may need to defend themselves in court. since the majority of convicted defendants come from underrepresented communities and unfortunate family backgrounds they are unable to afford good legal representation so they are forced to resort to use underpaid, inexperienced and overworked state appointed attorneys. When it comes to the capital punishment I believe that it is applied in a racially biased approach. This unfairness extends not only to the race of the accused singled out for death row but also to the race of the victim. It is disgusting to know that when deciding on who gets the death sentence the color of the defendant and victim plays a crucial and intolerable role in the U.S justice system. According to a study done by general accounting office(GAO)in the 90s they found that for homicides committed under otherwise similar circumstances, and where defendants had