It is cheaper to contain a prisoner for life than it is to kill one. The death penalty is imposed unequally among the races. Capital punishment isn't an effective crime deterrent. Innocent persons will inevitably be executed as long as capital punishment remains a part of our legal system. For these reasons, capital punishment should be abolished.
Capital punishment is cruel and unusual.
The first jolt of electricity, which lasted for two minutes, did not kill him. Officials waited for six minutes to allow Stephens' body to cool, so physicians could examine him. Upon examination, it was declared that a second jolt was needed. During the six minute interval, it was reported that Stephens took 23 breaths. Donald Eugene Harding was executed in a gas chamber in the state of Arizona on April 6th, 1992.