understanding of the death penalty in most Americans. Although, the.

             deterring value of capital punishment appears to have gone down in recent.

             years, deterrence remains the strongest ground for public support in the.

             basic fairness of the death penalty.

             .

             Americans are inclined to grant clemency to young convicts and.

             convicts with mental illness or mental retardation. In America is.

             unconstitutional to sentence a minor to death row and it comes to no.

             surprise the overturn of 72 death row cases of juvenile offenders (Lawrence.

             M. O'Rourke Bee Washington Bureau, 2005). "Among all inmates under sentence.

             of death, half were age 20 to 29 at the time of arrest; 11% were age 19 or.

             younger; and fewer than 1% were age 55 or older" (Death Penalty Information.

             Center, 2008).While figures attest to the continuing support of the.

             majority of the American public for the death penalty, the risk of.

             executing the innocent or wrong person continues to be the prevailing.

             concern along with the support (American Demographics). This sentiment is.

             shared by other countries and the European Union itself (Business Wire,.

             2007; Swiss News, 2003).

             Flaws of the Death Penalty.

             .

             The death penalty has proved to be unsuitable, useless and.

             harmful as a solution to the problem of serious crimes. As Scott Turow.

             (2003) an attorney and the writer of Presume Innocent (1987), Ultimate.

             Punishment (2003) and other best seller books writes, since the beginning,.

             there has been a humanist objection to the government's right to kill its.

             citizens from whom it derives its existence. Another flaw consists of the.

             fright and the frenzy of the people who witness or get emotionally affected.

             by particular crimes. This troubled reaction pours pressure on prosecutors.

             and the police who investigate these crimes. Such preoccupation or over-.

             reaction creates a ripple effect and often results in what Turow calls an.

             overreaching prosecution of the crimes which is the incarceration of.