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Abstract
Capital punishment–referred to colloquially as the death penalty–is a system of execution as punishment for crime. This system still exists in 55 nations; the subject of this paper is this system within the United States of America. The death penalty in America is ineffective in punishing, deterring, or providing retribution for crime. Statistics have shown a clear racial bias in the application of the death penalty. Execution in the United States comes with a hefty cost and an inherent risk of killing innocent people. Along with its lack of efficacy, the issue of capital punishment is a large moral debate for many religious groups: this paper will highlight the morality of capital punishment through the lens of the Catholic Church. All of the statistics and arguments to follow will provide ample evidence to discredit the system of capital punishment in America. The United States should abolish the death penalty because of racial bias, large costs, risks of executing the innocent, and flawed morality.
References
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