The most severe sentence used in our nation is capital punishment, or execution. Most of the executions were for murder or rape. However, federal, and military laws have conferred the death penalty for other crimes, including robbery, kidnapping, treason, espionage, and desertation from military service. Because capital punishment can lead to an unequal use of justice, arguments from its supporters should not prevent it from being abolished.
             One of the most common arguments for retaining the death penalty in the United States is that death is the ultimate incapacitation "and the only one that can ensure that convicted killers can never be pardoned, paroled or escape. Most states that do not have capitol punishment provide the sentence of "life in prison without the chance of parole". However, forty-eight states grant their chief executive the right to grant clemency and commute a life sentence and may give "lifers" the ability for various release programs. (Stephan Markman-Stanford Law Review page 41). Supporters of capital punishment justify its use on the grounds that it is morally correct because it is mentioned in the Bible and other religious works. Those who favor capital punishment charge that a majority of the public believes that criminals who kill innocent victims should forfeit their own life. (Kimberly Cook "Public Support" page 38.)
             Those that support its abolition match arguments for the death penalty. Critics of the death penalty believe capital punishment has no place in a mature democratic society. (Keith Otterbein page 39). They point to the finality of the act and the real possibility that innocent persons can be executed. According to research by Michael Radelet and
             Hugo Bedeau, there have been 350 wrongful murder convictions this century, of which 23 led to executions. They estimated about three death sentences are returned every two
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