The Death Penalty: Beyond Horror and Incivility"Capital Punishment is the infliction of the death penalty on persons convicted of a crime" (Americana 596). The killing of convicted criminals has been one of the most widely practiced forms of criminal punishment in the United States. Currently, the states that do not practice the death penalty are Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Wisconsin. However, for the remaining states that practice the death penalty, it has been a topic of debate for many years. There are two sides arguing over its many points, including whether or not it is an appropriate and adequate punishment, whether or not it acts as a deterrent against crime, and whether or not it is morally wrong. These two classes of people can be grouped together as maintainers, or supporters, and abolitionists, or opponents (596). For supporters, the main reasons they support the death penalty are to take revenge, discourage others, and punish. Their main concern is the protection of society from dangerous criminals. Despite all this, however, the death penalty is not a good form of criminal punishment for many reasons: it is morally wrong, it does not serve as a deterrent to crime, it is irreversible and can be inflicted on innocent people, it is more expensive than imprisonment and those convicted commonly use the expensive process of appealing the decision and there is no possibility of compensating the victim and/or the victim's family." People who favor the death penalty agree that capital punishment be a relic of barbarism, but since murder itself is barbaric... middle of paper... the spectacle of publicly sanctioned murder has diminished human life and dignity without the redeeming grace that comes from justice dispensed quickly and evenly, humanely" (Draper 44). Amnesty International report cited. The death penalty. England: Amnesty International Publications, 1979.Bedau, Hugo Adam. The death penalty in America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982. “Capital Punishment.” American Encyclopedia. 1990 ed.Draper, Thomas. Capital punishment. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1985. Horwitz, Elinor Lander. Capital punishment USA New York: JB Lippincott, 1973.Jayewardene, CHS The death penalty. Massachusetts: Lexington, 1977. Meador, Roy. Capital revenge: 54 votes against life. Philadelphia: Dorrance, 1975. “Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.” 8/3/95 (date recovered).