ce system. Since 1973, more than 43 people have been released from prison after being sentenced to death despite their innocence. A recently-published book, In Spite of Innocence, notes that since 1900 there have been 416 documented cases of innocent persons who have been convicted and given a death sentence. The authors discovered that in 23 of these cases, the person was executedThe death penalty also punishes the poor. It is argued that if one can afford good representation they will not end up on death row. On the other hand, if one is impoverished they are forced to use inexperienced, underpaid, court-appointed attorneys. Another common criticism of the death penalty is that its racist. In state death penalty cases, the race of the victim is much more important than the prior criminal record of the defender or the actual circumstances of the crime. Statistics show that although blacks make up 50 percent of all murder victims, 85 percent of the victims in capitol punishment cases are white. Since 1976 only four executions involving a white defendant who killed a black victim occurred. In all only 31 of the over 18,000 executions in this country history involved a white defendant being punished for killing a black victim. A comprehensive Georgia study showed that killers of whites are 4.3 times more likely to receive a death sentence than killers of whites. In Alabama, 60% of the 115 inmates on death row are black. Since the resumption of executions in the early 1980's, 71% of those executed have been black. When people view capitol punishment as a human rights issue, they associate with the former political system and its abuses of power and countries that are becoming more democratic have been eager to abolish the death penalty. The death penalty is an example of cruel and unusual punishment. It is a violation of our 8th amendment right. Killing, whether carried out by an individual or the state, is immoral and should not to be...
