There is much controversy over whether the death penalty should be legal or not. It is widely used, as only 18 out of 50 states have abolished it, but should it be allowed, regardless of its popularity? The answer is no. It should be abolished because it demeans life, it is cruel, prison is a better punishment and it is not effective. Steve Earle once said, "My objection to the death penalty is based on the idea that this is a democracy, and in a democracy I'm the government, and if the government kills someone, then I kill someone. The death penalty demeans life. It makes it seem like life can be thrown away if you do something wrong, when in reality it is something that needs to be carefully kept safe and preserved. If the perpetrator has committed murder, as his life continues, rather than ending, he will have the opportunity to understand the importance and beauty of life and never commit murder again. Death is always at least a little painful, there's no way it could be otherwise. For this reason, it is considered...