The death penalty is also known as capital punishment and it is a case where an individual is executed by judicial process as a punishment for some offense found guilty. Those crimes that lead to the death penalty are referred to as capital crimes. The use of the death penalty has been there for a long period, but of late some countries have abolished it as a form of punishment for criminals. Different groups and countries have different opinions regarding capital punishment and this has resulted in a great debate. According to some religious groups such as Christianity, capital punishment is regarded as a sin. This is according to their belief no human being has the right to take the life that God gives. There is also a lot of pressure by human rights groups against capital punishment. They term it as a denial of human rights. Each individual is entitled to li
fe and no one or country has the right to deny any individual the right to life. In the past, individuals have been falsely convicted and have received death penalties. For example, there are claims that Wayne Felker was falsely convicted of rape. He was executed in 1996 but there are claims that the technician who did the autopsy was not qualified. It is very unfair for an innocent person to receive such a punishment. In fact, it does not matter whether an individual has committed an offense or not. Capital punishment is very unfair regardless of the crime committed. The effect of capital punishment on the relatives and friends of the convicted is very devastating. In the United States, capital punishment has been used for a long period of time and it is still practiced today. This paper will seek to analyze the death penalty and other issues that surround it.