Capital Punishment: The Correct AlternativeThere is much controversy today over capital punishment, whether or not it works or whether it is morally right. Before we talk about capital punishment, in America it is only used in cases of crime such as murder or criminal affray, where there has been an unintentional killing due to robbery. Supporters of the death penalty argue that criminals deserve it and that it is the only way to achieve justice. People who oppose the death penalty say that it is immoral, that no one should be sentenced to death, that it has no place in a civilized society and that since the death penalty does not cannot be based on racist prejudices, it should be banned. Capital punishment is justified by several means. First, it greatly discourages violent crimes like murder and rape. Today, many murderers do not serve most or even half of their sentences, due to early parole or overcrowded prisons. If a murderer is sentenced to life in prison, not only does it cost taxpayers money to support him, but his life in prison is often better than what some citizens experience on a daily basis. These first two facts encourage crime rather than curbing it. Furthermore, someone who commits murder deserves a punishment appropriate to the crime committed. Premeditated murder, being the most heinous crime committed, calls for the only appropriate punishment: death. I'm only referring to murderers who face the death penalty, and not necessarily other crimes like rape or robbery. There are currently thirty-seven states that have the death penalty. Even soldiers are subject to the death penalty. The other states, mostly in the Midwest and Northeast, have abolished it. The only two states that have never implemented the death penalty... middle of paper ... in a way that gives society the message that it lives in a just world. Additionally, the death penalty does not have a racial bias, it is simply that more minorities are executed than Caucasians, because more minorities commit more crimes. If capital punishment is removed, we will not have an effective justice system and crimes against innocent citizens will continue. This is why capital punishment is necessary and needed in America. Works cited1. “The death penalty”. 01/03/95 (date retrieved).2. Hugo Adam Bedau. "The Case Against the Death Penalty". July 1992.3. “Double justice: race and the death penalty”. 3/01/95 (date retrieved).4. “Slaughterhouse justice”. Village Voice October 11, 1994: 23-24.5. “Guarantees guaranteeing the protection of the rights of people threatened with death.” 01/03/95 (date of recovery).