One of the most widely debated and criticized methods of punishment in the United States is the death penalty. The death penalty is an issue that divides the United States. While there are many supporters, there is also a great deal of opposition. Currently, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, there are thirty-three states where the death penalty is legal and seventeen states that have abolished it. There is no doubt that killing another person is the most heinous criminal act one can commit. I'm not sure why, but it seems like the US government is being hypocritical when it says that capital punishment is acceptable because a criminal killed an innocent victim and therefore should be killed (Philips, 2013). This rule is known as the "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth theory". Of course, if we always used this system, there would be no need for laws. A second argument that some people use in support of capital punishment is that fear of receiving the death penalty will prevent criminals from killing. How many criminals would they kill in the first place, even in a state where capital punishment does not exist, if they thought there was a chance of being caught? Most murderers believe they have a plan to get away with murder (Philips, 2013). Unfortunately, most are right. In response to this, I believe the United States Bill of Rights in the Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. There is nothing more cruel or unusual than taking someone's life. If you look at a different perspective of what is happening in the world, you see that internationally we are seeing the decline of the use of executions as a means of getting rid of crime. .... middle of paper ...... without parole and let them sit in prison for the rest of their lives regretting their decision rather than providing them with a way out. In response, I believe the Bill of Rights, specifically the Eighth Amendment, prohibits cruel and unusual punishment (Sangiorgio, 2011). If there is a punishment much crueler than death, please let me know. Furthermore, it is time to address the fact that our justice system is biased. For example; In Southern states, 8 percent of black criminals who commit murders are sentenced to death. Only 1% of white murderers receive the death penalty. Additionally, murderers are seven times more likely to be sentenced to death for killing a white person than for killing a black person. This seems to me to be a clear prejudice (Siennick, 2012). The death penalty must be removed and abolished through a constitutional amendment.