Capital Punishment Should Be Banned - 1515 Words

Capital punishment has been a part of the nation’s history as it dates back to the British North American colonies. Capital punishment was also used as a way to remove those prosecuted for being â€Å"witches† during the famous Salem Witch Trials. These days the use of the death penalty has become an anachronism. In recent times has capital punishment become a place for argument to those supporting and those opposing the death penalty. Capital punishment should be federally banned for its inconsistencies in proving to be a deterrent to crime for targeting people of color and for being unconstitutional. It has been thought that the death penalty would inevitably discourage people from committing felonious crimes, but this has proven to be†¦show more content†¦This argument made by Bushman is inaccurate due to the fact that the details of the crimes committed come out during the trial. Most would argue that sentencing can be racially driven regardless of the evid ence presented to the judge and jury that would indicate the murder being committed in the heat of passion. Along with the problems listed above targeting people of color is also a problem for the death penalty. Racial bias is also an issue when discussing the death penalty. According to the Bushman article, â€Å"The American Bar Association three-year study concluded: ‘Every state studied appears to have significant racial disparities in imposing the death penalty, particularly associated with the race of the victim, but little has been done to rectify the problem† in this quotation Bushman explains that the race of the victim has everything to do with the outcome of the accused’s trial. Little has been done to prevent racial biases from continuing in trials. An example of a racial biased death sentence is the case of Stanley â€Å"Tookie† Williams. Tookie is also known as one of the early leaders of Los Angeles’ â€Å"West Side Crip† Gang , notorious for their rivalry with a gang known as the â€Å"Bloods†. Tookie was sentenced for the murders of four individuals from three different crimes he