Describe the main issues of the death penalty debate.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

? While advocates argue the death penalty is "just deserts" for convicted offenders, other counter that it is simply revenge.? Advocates for the death penalty argue that the death sentence has great value as a deterrent, while those who oppose the death penalty say too few sentences are carried out each year for capital punishment to act as an adequate deterrent.? Advocates propose that capital punishment is the ultimate form of incapacitation, while opponents suggest that life in prison without parole would serve the same purpose.? While conclusive evidence that an innocent person has been executed in the United States has not been found, opponents argue that 138 persons sentenced to death were later released when they were found to be innocent of the crimes they were convicted of. Opponents argue this is evidence of the fallibility of the justice system.? In addition, opponents argue that the death penalty is assigned rarely and often arbitrarily. Some opponents argue that it is even assigned discriminatorily, with minority defendants overrepresented on death row.