Capital Punishment: a System with FlawsIntroductionThe death penalty in America is in decline: despite decreasing use, the flaws are more evident than ever. Some of these are racial prejudice and the execution of innocent people. With a topic like capital punishment, the information available can be overwhelming, with all the information available. The words capital punishment and death penalty often have strong emotional opinions, as they are a controversial topic that so many people have different opinions on. History of the death penalty in America American use of the death penalty was influenced by British capital punishment laws. The first recorded execution was that of Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown Colony in Virginia in 1608, for espionage for the Spanish government (Death Penalty Information Center). Capital punishment laws differed depending on the colony. In North Carolina, both harboring slaves and inciting them to insurrection were punishable by death. Sentencing in Virginia sometimes depended on whether the offender was black or white, there were five capital crimes for whites and approximately seventy for blacks (Constanzo, 1997). In 1767 Cesare Beccaria theorized that there was no justification for the state to take someone's life, giving voice to abolitionists, which was the abolition of the death penalty in Austria and Tuscany, Beccaria also influenced the Americas. The first attempt at death penalty reform in the United States occurred when Thomas Jefferson introduced a bill to revise Virginia's death penalty law. The bill proposed that the death penalty be applied only to the crimes of murder and treason. However he was defeated by one vote (Death Penalty Information Center). Ni...... middle of paper ...... indicates that three other people, not including Griffin, were in the car at the time of the shooting. took place (Kirchmeier, 2006). As the St. Louis prosecutor's office is reopening the investigation into the case, it is hoped that the investigation will shed light on who the killer was and clarify Griffin's innocence. Over the years, public perception of the death penalty has changed, with issues of racial bias and innocent people being executed. Previous supporters of the death penalty have changed their views on the issue. Then again there are those who still support capital punishment saying that the use of DNA testing can now eliminate the problem of executing an innocent person. Capital punishment supporters also deny that race plays a role in decisions to seek the death penalty, regardless of the color of the victim or defendant..