Should the death penalty be banned as a form of punishment?

Essay from the year 2007 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Other, grade: 1,3, University of Vechta, language: English, abstract: Capital punishment is the lawful infliction of death as a punishment and since ancient times, it has been used for a wide variety of offences. The vast majority of democratic countries in Europe and Latin America have abolished capital punishment over the last fifty years, but United States, most democracies in Asia, and almost all totalitarian governments retain it. Many see the penalty as barbaric and out of date. Others see it as a very important tool in fighting violent intentional murder. Therefore, death penalty is one of the most debated issues in the Criminal Justice System.