DEATH PENALTY The death penalty has been a staple of the American justice system since its inception. Although highly controversial, it has stood the test of time as the ultimate punishment. Many countries are currently abolishing the practice of the death penalty. America, on the other hand, has thirty-eight out of fifty states with laws regarding the death penalty. It appears that the United States is demanding the death penalty more than ever due to the rising rate of violent crime. Since 1990, more than three hundred and fifty people have been executed and another three thousand three hundred are on death row. On a larger scale, since 1976 five hundred and fifty-two executions occurred in the United States, the breakdown is as follows: three hundred and ninety-four by lethal injection, one hundred and forty-one by electrocution, eleven by gas chamber, three by hanging, and two by shooting. Half of the executions since 1976 have occurred in the last five years, including fifty-two this year. Although the death penalty has brought many vicious criminals to a “fitting” end, the process upon which the death penalty is based is inconsistent. The system of intricate appeals, court orders and last minute pardons has rendered the entire system ineffective. As the stagnant number of death row inmates shows, criminals are not deterred by punishment. “An evil act is not redeemed by a retaliatory evil act. Justice has never advanced in taking human life. Morality is never supported by legalized murder.” There are many gaps in the structure of the death penalty. The outcome of the case is decided by the quality of the lawyer defending the accused. Many criminals cannot afford a competent lawyer, resulting in a greater chance of that particular person being sentenced to death, rather than life in prison. A thin line separates these two charges, and a defendant who can afford a competent lawyer is less likely to be sentenced to death than one who cannot. Studies also show that the application of the death penalty is based on racial bias. The amount of violent crime is split almost equally between black and white ethnic groups. Since 1977, eighty-two percent of criminals sentenced to death committed the crime in question against a Caucasian. Another glaring flaw in the structure of the death penalty system in America is the laws regarding the sentencing of criminals under the age of eighteen. Juveniles can be sentenced to death in twenty-four states.