Americans, in general, are polarized when it comes to capital punishment. A recent poll conducted by Gallup, as reported in USA Today, has revealed that more than one-third of the population across the United States are against the concept of capital punishment. Their ire was further fuelled when people who had served more than three decades behind bars were finally executed on the same day when they had appealed the court to repeal their sentence. The poll saw a significant rise when a substantial number of people, 35 per cent, voiced their opinion against capital punishment.

Capital punishment is not just limited to the United States. Some of the countries that are largely driven by religion than judiciary, are hard to question when it comes to the death sentence. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, and Iraq also award capital punishment but that is purely on the basis of the felony. Since executions carried out in Islamic countries are never brought in the media, also because some of the recorded one’s have been under narcotics, murder or having illicit relationships.

Capital punishment, to a great extent, defies the basic rule of human rights. But on the flipside, it is also an opinion generator. Many people say that capital punishment acts as a differentiator and helps in bringing justice to the families of the victims. However, what needs to be questioned is, are the courts fair in executing a person even after he awaits his verdict for decades in jail and is finally executed? The judiciary in this case moves at a snail’s pace everywhere but also questions the morality of the judiciary.