State Sanctioned Murder Old Sparky and Gruesome Gertie (affectionate names for the electric chair) have taken the lives of many, even the innocent (Finnerty 18). They are prejudiced and lack compassion. However, many Americans believe that they represent justice. Capital punishment does not represent justice, but vengeance and hate. Among the 7,000 people estimated to have been killed in the United States between 1900 and 1985, at least 23 were innocent (Finnerty 18). In at least 8 of 261 executions performed since 1976, something …showed first 75 words of 1058 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1058 total…it can, and kill as many black people as possible. Violence begets violence, and murder begets murder. The violent crimes that capital punishment attempts to control will only increase if we, the people, do not demand moral alternatives to state sanctioned murder. Bibliography Works Cited Dority, Barbara. "Not in My Name." The Humanist March/April 1993: 36-37. Finnerty, Amy. "Sunday: Six Facts." The New York Times Magazine 5 February 1995: 18. Monagle, Katie. "The Death Penalty." Update 4 September 1992: 13-15.