1,188 people were executed in the United States between 1977 and 2009.[1] Most death penalty cases involve the execution of murder.[2] However, capital punishment can be applied to other crimes such as espionage and treason. When it comes to the death penalty, many opinions exist as to why this form of punishment is a good thing. These opinions include such things as: • The death penalty is the final warning to potential criminals.[4] If a potential criminal knows that the punishment for his actions will be death, then fewer criminals will commit the crimes. • The death penalty provides closure to the victim's family.[5] Even if the victims themselves are not alive to put an end to the situation, the execution of the perpetrator brings a sense of relief of no longer having to think about the ordeal. • The death penalty is the only thing these criminals fear. 6] The murderers exhausted all avenues of appeal to avoid being executed themselves. • The death penalty is not cruel.[7] The forms of execution used are methods in which the brain has no chance of feeling pain. • The death penalty is the best response to murder.[8] Our justice system strives to fit sentences to the crime. In the case of homicide, why should the perpetrator receive the same sentence as the perpetrator of a serious, non-violent offense? Each of these arguments constitutes an excellent reason to maintain the death penalty as a punishment. However, for every argument for the death penalty, there is an equally strong argument for its abolition, including: • The death penalty teaches criminals nothing.[9] How can we teach a person to learn from the middle of a paper their action by burning themselves, seeing a friend burn, or watching something catch fire. I think the same type of logic should be applied to the death penalty, I think taking more of the example of those who are convicted of premeditated murder and where the death penalty is imposed, the consequences should be followed. People sometimes stay on death row for years and years, but now the death penalty is just a threat. For example, if I chose to plot and commit murder, I could be sentenced to death, but even with concrete evidence against me, I could still remain on death row for the rest of my life. While this may indeed deter many people from committing the crime, it does not deter everyone. I think that if we sanctioned more, then we would have a greater deterrent effect..