To begin, what is capital punishment? Capital punishment is basically the death penalty, execution. There are many ways that people can call it, but, in a nutshell, they are all the same thing. Whoever committed the crime will be punished with death. Crimes that can result in capital punishment are called capital crimes. Capital punishment has, in the past, been practiced by most societies, as a punishment for criminals, and political or religious dissidents. 

Historically, the carrying out of the death sentence was often accompanied by torture, and executions were most often public. 36 countries actively practice capital punishment, 103 countries have completely abolished it de jure for all crimes, 6 have abolished it for ordinary crimes only (while maintaining it for special circumstances such as war crimes), and 50 have abolished it de facto (have not used it for at least ten years and/or are under moratorium).

Nearly all countries in the world prohibit the execution of individuals who were under the age of 18 at the time of their crimes; since 2009, only Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan have carried out such executions. Executions of this kind are prohibited under international law.

Capital punishment is a matter of active controversy in various countries and states, and positions can vary within a single political ideology or cultural region. In the European Union member states, Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits the use of capital punishment. The Council of Europe, which has 47 member states, also prohibits the use of the death penalty by its members.

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted, in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014 non-binding resolutions calling for a global moratorium on executions, with a view to eventual abolition. Although many nations have abolished capital punishment, over 60% of the world's population live in countries where executions take place, such as China, India, the United States and Indonesia, the four most-populous countries in the world, which continue to apply the death penalty (although in India and in many US states it is rarely employed). Each of these four nations has consistently voted against the General Assembly.

Who: Humanity, as a whole

Where: Everywhere on the planet, every country, nation, continent

When: As long as organized societies are here

What: Execution, depending on the severity of the crime

Why: This matters because whether or not it is up to people to decide if other people die is highly debatable. Is it RIGHT for us to KILL others because they killed someone else? That is an example of how "sensitive" this topic can be.

For more Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment

Many will argue that capital punishment has more pros than cons. 2 pros mentioned in the following article are that there is no evidence to prove that racial minorities are treated unfairly and that capital punishment produces a strong deterrent effect that can save lives. David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D. argues for the death sentence, defending his position with the 2 aforementioned arguments.

For more info: http://www.heritage.org/research/testimony/the-death-penalty-deters-crime-and-saves-lives

Capital punishment saves lives by showing people what happens if they choose to break the law. If a thief is locked up, not only is he prevented from committing more crimes, but others can see that if they choose to break the law as well, they can also be locked up. That is the main point that the following article addresses and proves. The following article also has evidence from multiple studies proving that capital punishment deters future crimes.

For more info: http://deathpenaltycurriculum.org/student/c/about/arguments/argument1a.htm

The following article addresses some of the cons of the death penalty. One of theses is the fact that the death penalty is simply too expensive. Another is that innocent people can be falsely accused and then receive a death sentence and then die. It also states that it is "immoral to kill someone to prove that killing is wrong." What do you think?

For more info: https://sites.google.com/site/deathpenaltyaroundtheworld/disdvantages

This article mentions the fact that it is logical to assume that a lifetime in prison is better than a death sentence. An eye for an eye attitude is also pointed out as unfair.

For more info: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/death-penalty-cons.html

I connected the following picture to the topic of capital punishment. This picture has a man in agony, being injected with something by someone out of the picture with a noose in the background. I related this picture to capital punishment because both the needle and noose are forms of execution. The man is in pain, maybe because he is dying, and he knows it.

James Madison once said: "I should not regret a fair and full trial of the entire abolition of capital punishment." So, basically, people have been wanting to abolish capital punishment since the earliest roots of the USA. What does this tell you? Well, it tells me that this has been a debate for a very long time. But it is still in action.

I believe that the policies in place today ought to be something that the leaders of tomorrow should know about. There are some who believe that the US will not have another civil war, and I can see where they are coming from. Yes, I agree that civil war is wrong. To me, there is nothing worse for a nation than for it to be divided. But, there are people who feel that they are right, and that they are doing what must be done. For example, the American Civil War. Why was it fought? It was fought because the North felt that slavery was wrong, there was a President from the North, so the South felt that they were not being treated fairly. The South then proceeded to secede from the Union, thereby creating two sides to a very heated war. The nation should not have to fight against itself, but it does. I, personally, believe that history does end up repeating itself. The scale on how it does it what makes it harder to notice that it is.