Capital punishment is a controversial topic in the United States. Although many states have banned it in recent decades, the federal government still keeps the practice alive.<\/p>\n

While the death penalty is not the sexiest thing you’ll ever see, the fact is that it works. It also prevents lynch law and vigilante justice. In addition to ensuring public safety, it is a fitting retribution to the victims of the crimes it punishes.<\/p>\n

Capital punishment has been around for centuries. The ancient Hebrews, for example, instituted the lex talionis – a legal mandate for the execution of a person found guilty of a particular crime. One of the earliest examples of this proclamation, the retributive retribution, was the legal demise of a Jewish man. Likewise, the United States remains the only western “industrialized” nation that retains the death penalty.<\/p>\n

A more complex and nuanced subject, the debate over whether capital punishment is an appropriate response to severe crimes remains. This is not to say that the practice is not morally justified, just that it’s not without its detractors. Some contend that the penalties imposed are unjust and arbitrary. Others argue that they are ineffective in reducing homicide rates. Nonetheless, they are more effective than imprisonment.<\/p>\n

Whether the death penalty is a good idea has been a hot-button issue for the better part of a century. Several Supreme Court decisions have dealt with the merits of capital punishment, and a few cases have sparked discussion about how to improve the criminal justice system. People are put to death and given death sentences by the state every day as punishment for a wide range of crimes, sometimes for actions that shouldn’t be considered crimes.<\/p>\n