Introduction
            
             The death penalty has been a subject of controversy in the American
            
             justice system for many years. This form of capital punishment is usually a
            
             sentence decided by a jury. The imperfections of our court system have risen
            
             an ethical dilemma regarding the consequences of such a severe punishment.
            
             There is strong support towards the death penalty, as well as extreme opposition
            
             towards it. This debate has been going on, and probably will continue to go on,
            
             for many years. It is hard to believe that the death penalty is considered
            
             necessary, with so much at stake, when there are other punishments that do
            
             justice.
            
            
             The Moral Dilemma
            
             The moral debate of the death penalty can obviously be looked at from two
            
             sides. Those in favor might have these type of views;
            
             Glass (2003) has suggested that sometimes, taking a life as punishment
            
             and deterring those who would take the lives of others without any remorse, is a
            
             necessary step, even if it might seem immoral. Supporting the death penalty
            
             could inevitably mean, that innocent people are executed, but the judicial system
            
             is not perfect. So it is better for society to take a stand for those victimized and
            
             punish the guilty under the best system devised. Rather than allowing savage
            
             killers to go essentially unpunished and be free to continue their crimes.
            
             As a practice, the death penalty is often considered racist, inconsistent
            
             and unjust, based on little more that the personal view of a group of jurors with
            
             minimal education. In theory, it's not necessarily immoral if the convicted is
            
             indeed guilty and has forfeited his/her right to life by taking another. The fact that
            
             a murder shows a potential to do good, or endured a bad childhood, does not
            
             outweigh th...