The use of capital punishment in America stems from Britain influence and began early on in the settlement of the European colonies. The earliest recorded execution dates back to 1608 (Death Penalty Information Center, 2011) . However, the use of capital punishment in the United States centuries later has been very controversial. Thirty-four states still use the death penalty as a punishment while 16 states have abolished its use (Death Penalty Information Center, 2011) . The constitutionality of capital punishment is in question and is constantly interpreted. The death penalty requires arbitrary decisions to be made by jurors. The studies on race in death penalty cases, the exonerations of those individuals on death row, and the cost of the death penalty are reasons to abolish capital punishment in the United States.
Recent studies on the death penalty show surprising facts about the race of defendant and victim. In North Carolina it was found that the odds of receiving the death penalty rose by 3.5 for defendants whose victims were white. A California study found that defendants who murdered Whites were three times more likely to receive the death penalty than those who murdered Blacks and four times more likely than those who murdered Latinos. Race-of-victim and race-of-defendant discrimination has been found in 96 percent of the states in which death penalty and race studies have taken place (Death Penalty Information Center, 2011) .
The exonerations of those on death row are somewhat shocking. To know that individuals on death row could be innocent should deter the public from supporting capital punishment. More than 130 people have been released from death row since 1973 with proof of innocence. From 2000 to 2007 there has been an average of 5 exonerations each year (Death Penalty Information Center, 2011) .
The outstanding cost of death penalty cases is