The America’s Supreme Court has ruled that the capital punishment should reflect and express the conscience of the United States residents, and that its application must be measured against the community’s evolving decency standards. This current report indicates that 65 percent of US inhabitants do not believe that this form of punishment is deterrent to murder. Furthermore, over 30 percent believe that their moral beliefs would exclude them from serving on a death case. About 50 percent of the Americans today prefer the death penalty while about 40 percent prefer life in prison without parole, whereas 10 percent are undecided (William 8).
There are several reasons why capital punishment needs to be abolished. First and foremost, capital punishment is an act of Murder. Its use is so arbitrary and violates the prohibition of eighth amendment from severe punishment. This eighth amendment requires that sentencing discretion in cases of capital be structured according to objective standards so as to eliminate discrimination and arbitrariness.
Capital punishment is viewed as the cold-blood killing of an individual by the government in the name of justice. Therefore, the use of capital punishment in the United States should end because it is seen as the ultimate denial of human rights. This punishment is inhuman and it violates the rights of an individual. This punishment should not continue to be in use because there can never be justification for cruel treatment or torture (William 16). In addition, since 1975, over 150 individuals have had their capital case convictions overturned. 300 cases of non-capital have overturned since 1990 after DNA testing. Such mistakes sway the public confidence in the system of capital punishment.