Include Sara Jacobs and don Bacon in the discusion post below\

The debate about whether the United States should end the death penalty involves many moral, legal, and social factors. The "Unit 5 Lab Learning Activity - Should the US Abolish the Death Penalty?" podcast discusses two main points worth exploring.

First, it looks at whether the death penalty stops serious crimes. Some believe it acts as a deterrent, but studies mentioned in the podcast suggest this isn't true. States with the death penalty don't always have lower murder rates than those without it. This challenges the idea that capital punishment effectively prevents crime. The podcast notes, "the absence of conclusive evidence supporting deterrence calls into question the utility of the death penalty" (Podcast, Unit 5 Lab).

Second, the podcast discusses racial bias in the justice system, which is another strong reason to oppose the death penalty. It highlights that people from minority groups are overrepresented on death row. This aligns with studies in our course materials, indicating that racial discrimination affects sentencing and undermines justice and fairness. Many examples show how racial bias influences outcomes in trials, which complicates the moral justification for the death penalty (Podcast, Unit 5 Lab).

While the podcast also mentions views like retributive justice, which some use to justify the death penalty for the worst crimes, it emphasizes the need to examine if we can truly achieve justice given the risk of irreversible mistakes and biases. This discussion raises a crucial question: How can the US ensure a fair justice system with the death penalty in place? This question encourages debate on reforming the justice system and finding alternative punishments that ensure justice without inequality.

Reflecting on these issues is important to understand both the moral and practical effects of keeping the death penalty in modern American society. The discussion ties into government debates on civil rights and echoes current calls for systemic reform.