Scientific studies have consistently failed to demonstrate that executions deter people from committing crime. The USA is unable to prevent accidental execution of innocent people. Studies show that in this century, at least 400 innocent people have been convicted of capital crimes they did not commit. The wrongful execution of an innocent person is an injustice that can never be rectified. Some were minutes away from execution.
Race plays a role in the vast majority of executions.
Race is an important factor in determining who is sentenced to die. The death penalty is applied at random. Politics, quality of legal counsel and the jurisdiction where a crime is committed are more often the determining factors in a death penalty case than the facts of the crime itself. Capital punishment goes against almost every religion. Although isolated passages of the Bible have been quoted in support of the death penalty, almost all religious groups in the United States regard executions as immoral.