DEATH PENALTYThe death penalty has been an essential part of the American justice system since its inception. Although highly controversial, it has stood the test of time as the ultimate punishment. Many countries are currently abolishing the death penalty. America, for its part, has thirty-eight states out of fifty with laws concerning the death penalty. It appears that the United States is demanding the death penalty more than ever due to the increasing rate of violent crime. Since 1990, more than three hundred and fifty people have been put to death and another three thousand three hundred are waiting on death row. On a larger scale, since one thousand nine hundred and seventy-six, five hundred and fifty-two executions took place in the United States, the distribution is as follows: three hundred and ninety-four by lethal injection, one hundred and forty-one by electrocution, eleven per gas chamber. , three by hanging and two by firing squad. Half of the executions after 1976 took place in the last five years, including 52 since the start of this year. Although the death penalty has brought many slimy criminals to a “proper” end, the process on which the death penalty is based is inconsistent. The tangled system of appeals, court orders and last-minute pardons has rendered the entire system ineffective. As the increase in the stagnant number of death row inmates shows, criminals are not deterred by punishment. “A bad action is not redeemed by a bad action of retaliation. Justice is never advanced when it comes to taking human lives. Morality is never upheld by legalized murder. » Many flaws exist in the structure of the death penalty. The outcome of the trial depends on the quality of the lawyer defending the accused. Many criminals cannot afford a competent lawyer, which increases the risk that that person will receive the death penalty rather than life in prison. A fine line separates these two charges, and a defendant who can afford the services of a competent lawyer is less likely to receive the death penalty than one who cannot. Studies also show that the use of the death penalty is based on racial bias. The number of violent crimes is split almost equally between white and black ethnic groups. Since 1977, eighty-two percent of criminals sentenced to death have committed the crime in question against a Caucasian. Another glaring flaw in the structure of America's death penalty system is the laws regarding the sentencing of criminals under the age of eighteen. Juveniles can be sentenced to death in twenty-four states..