Issues Surrounding the Death PenaltyDoes Executing Murderers Really Stop Violent Crime in the United States? Our government seems to think so. In many states, the death penalty still exists or is being reinstated. Many people argue that the death penalty should be used in cases of heinous crimes where guilt is obvious. Bill Clinton signed a bill adding 58 additional crimes punishable by death. For example, if you witness or know about a murder and do not report it, you could be executed. If you know about a gang murder, you can report it and be killed in revenge, or you can stay silent and let the government kill you. Is this justice? (Biringer 1) It has been statistically proven that the death penalty does not deter crime. In 1982, Texas reinstated the death penalty. From 1982 to 1991, the national crime rate increased by five percent, while Texas's increased by twenty-four percent. Their violent crime rate increased by forty-six percent (Hughes). Clearly, killing criminals has done nothing to reduce crime. Racing is subject to the death penalty. White killers are 4.3 times more likely to be executed than black killers. A total of 18,000 people were executed in the United States, only 31 of which involved a white person killing a black person. Is justice really colorblind? (Vandeberg 2) The death penalty is a convenient and easy answer that may appeal to some but unfortunately fails to solve the problems it is intended to solve. There is always a problem that executors face:; the risk of executing innocent people. In the United States, which has one of the fairest justice systems, 350 people were wrongly convicted of capital crimes between 1900 and 1985. More than half...... middle of paper .... .. months before being executed without trial. In the United States, there is a law against placing a child on death row. In Iran, they say: “A nine-year-old girl is considered mature. So there is no difference for us between a nine-year-old child and a forty-year-old man, and that does not prevent us from pronouncing any type of sentence. »(128) The death penalty will likely be a controversial issue for the rest of our lives. lives. many agree that if you take another's life you lose your right to life, it's that simple. Innocent people are sentenced to the death penalty every day. Ordinary perpetrators are released from death row due to lack of evidence or other serious reasons. Is this justice? Many will say no.Bibliography:Deathpenalty.com "Legal Rights..."Prodeathpenalty.com "For among others against?"