Capital punishment is not acceptable because it is unconstitutional. The death penalty, which was legal with no objections through the 1900's, became a controversial issue in 1972. In 1972, the Furman vs. Georgia trial caused the Supreme Court to cancel hundreds of scheduled executions and to declare the death penalty unconstitutional. After this decision, several states reenacted the capital punishment laws. However, capital punishment indeed violates the Eighth Amendment which became a part of the United States Constitution in 1789.
Capital punishment is both a cruel and an unusual punishment.
No punishment can be more cruel than death, especially if it is applied to an innocent person. Capital punishment also challenges the Fourteenth Amendment. Once again, the Fourteenth Amendment in the United States Constitution, promised equal protection of the laws and due process to all. Therefore, the death penalty certainly violates the Fourteenth Amendment. The application of the death penalty sentence shows racial discrimination, sex discrimination, and socio-economic class discrimination all over the nation.