The death penalty has been a topic of heated debate for many years. Some people believe that the death penalty is unconstitutional because it is cruel and unusual punishment. Many people also believe that states do not have the power to take a life. They believe it is God's responsibility to judge life and death, not man's. They therefore view the death penalty from a religious point of view. The elements that this commission will examine to assess the humanity and constitutionality of the death penalty are lethal injection, a humane way of putting an offender to death. We will also review the constitution to ensure the state complies with it. In addition, it will be examined whether the State should ensure that all offenders sentenced to death are subjected to appropriate DNA testing to prove their guilt or innocence. One of the most important things this commission must decide is whether the death penalty violates constitutional rights. Many people have argued that the death penalty is unconstitutional because it constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. An example of this is California, where the state delayed the date an inmate was sentenced to death because his attorney said the death penalty by lethal injection was cruel and unusual punishment (Hooper, 2006). Lawyers for Michael Morales (the man sentenced to death by lethal injection) say there were cases where other inmates did not receive enough anesthetic and therefore felt too much pain during their execution (Hooper) . This doubt raised can create great concern for any state and that is why the governor decided to cancel the executions and set up this committee. Much of this cruel and unusual punishment will be explained...... middle of paper ...... Constitution. However, even though the death penalty is more expensive, some people are simply too dangerous to stay alive. The death penalty also serves as a deterrent for people who are considering committing a horrible act. This can prevent someone from robbing a store because there is a risk that someone will die instantly, making it a capital punishment. There are pros and cons to the death penalty, but ultimately I think it should be considered when dealing with the most serious and horrific criminals. Works CitedAllen, HE, Latessa, EJ and Ponder, BS (2010). Corrections in America (12th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Hooper, R. (2006). U.S. states face a dilemma over death row injections. New scientist. 189(2541). P. 10. McGraw, D. and Locy, T. (2000). DNA and the death penalty. US News & World Report. 128(23). P..20-21