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Death Penalty In America Essay

505 Words3 Pages

Introduction:
Capital punishment has been a criminal sentence imposed in America since colonial times. During this particular time period, the penalty was used for different crimes that went against the social norms, such as horse stealing, rape, burglary, and slave rebellion. Today the death sentence is strictly used in murder cases and in thirty-two out of the fifty states and by the federal system in the United States. In these states, it is completely legal to use the ultimate punishment of death to incapacitate a criminal from committing any further harm to society (Marcus, 2007). Throughout American history, many individuals have supported the death penalty because they believe it is an effective way to deter crime. Others have strongly …show more content…

The purpose of my research is to examine which demographic and social factors influence a person’s position on the issue of capital punishment. Researchers have discovered that there is some type of relationship between an individual’s beliefs about capital punishment and their gender, race, political views, and religion (Unnever and Cullen, 2007). Education level and socio-economic status have also been noted to be leading variables that affect an individual’s position on the issue of the death penalty (Baik, 2012). In addition, the mass media has become an important aspect of many people’s lives and influences the public’s opinion. Research indicates that television, radio, newspapers, and the internet may affect a person’s ideology on the death penalty (Britto and Noga-Styron, 2014). I selected this topic to discover what factor influences an individual’s position on capital punishment the most. This issue is extremely important because as America’s population becomes more diverse, it is essential to understand what groups oppose or support the death penalty and what factors influence their position. Individual’s position on capital punishment can also impact future legislations about this particular

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