This paper hopes to show the reader the pros and cons of the death penalty and the views of the author on whether it should be legal or not. It will compare many things such as the costs, deterrence of crimes and whether or not it is constitutional. The opinion expressed will be backed up with facts that will hopefully give the reader a better idea on the topic of the death penalty. The death penalty is quite the controversial topic and many people have many different views on what is right, when it should be used, and if it should be allowed at all. This paper will try to research all facts and display them to the reader for them to base their own opinion with the help of the author. One of the most controversial questions in our country today is whether the death penalty should be legal or banished. There are many debates on whether it should be legal or not and this changes from person to person. Many people think of it as a big deal and are either strong supporters or the opposite. The first execution in America was in 1608 in Jamestown colony of Virginia. The man, George Kendall, was executed for being a spy for Spain. It has been a long process since then but many states do in fact not have laws that support the use of executions. There are 32 states that have the death penalty and 18 that do not. Most of the states without the death penalty are those residing in the north east of the United States as many of the southern states have the death penalty. One of the main concerns of many people is what determines if someone is to receive the death penalty or not. What really makes a crime worthy of the death penalty? There are many cases where people believe felons should receive the death penalty and then there are other times felons can escape with a very few amount of years or nothing at all. Some may argue that an eye for an eye should be the policy but others will argue that we are much farther developed than to use that policy regarding the death penalty (DPIC). There are many reasons to both sides of this argument and both sides can present a valid case. On the side of abolishing the death penalty from our country, the most argued point is that it directly violates the bill of rights in terms of "cruel and unusual punishment." This is to say that executing someone would be cruel and unusual punishment and has no place in our society. The supporters of the death penalty would argue this point and state that the death penalty is a painless act and the person being executed does not even feel a thing. This is hard to say because who is really to say what they actually feel when being executed. No one has survived from it, so they cannot truly know whether pain is felt or not. Another major complaint of the death penalty is that sometimes innocent people are put to death. It is one thing if a person is sentenced to life in prison and then found innocent because they can now live their lives (Joe). But, when a person is found innocent after being put to death, there is no bringing them back. This is a major issue because families of the people that have been executed will become furious at this finding after their loved one has already been put to death. As of October 25, 2013, there have been a total of 143 exonerations across 26 states. This is quite a large number of people that have been sentenced to death when they are actually innocent. This stat alone proves that supporters of getting rid of the death penalty have a very valid point. One can think of it as the American judicial system mur