The death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. » The Anti-Federalists who drafted this amendment did not have the death penalty in mind. The execution of an individual for a crime committed was a practice largely excluded. But today, more than 200 years later, most Western countries have abolished the death penalty, but the United States has not. In 1972, when the United States Supreme Court overturned the death penalty in Furman v. Georgia [408 US 238]1, the Court held that the country's death penalty, in its current form, violated the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. But with the Gregg v. Georgia [428 US 153] 1 in 1976, the Court reopened the way to executions, accepting new death penalty laws that were supposed to eliminate arbitrariness, racial prejudice, and class discrimination. However, can a Western country that claims to be a democracy still apply the death penalty? In general, the American people support the death penalty. Sixty-three percent of people favor it, but that number drops to less than half if life without parole were guaranteed.2 Socrates would most likely favor the death penalty in the United States. He may or may not agree personally, but the death penalty is the will of the people and when a person is sentenced to death, they are tried by a jury. However, the death penalty is not an issue that affects most people on a daily basis. When people choose to favor the death penalty, they use their emotions to decide. People believe in punishment and believe that criminals should get what they deserve: an eye for an eye. Politicians generally don't try to change things that people are largely supportive of. Additionally, people believe that there are more pressing issues that the government should work on. The death penalty became a hot topic during the 2000 presidential election. Texas leads the country in executions and George W. Bush had to defend the practice. However, no one saw Al Gore condemn Bush. Why?, because he believes it too, so he just kept silent and let the press handle Bush's case..