According to the United Nations, 123 countries, including all countries in the European Union, have abolished the death penalty. The US has retained the death penalty both on the books and in practice. What might account for the differing viewpoints on the appropriateness of the death penalty in a criminal justice system?

That's a good question. It may be left over from the old west but I'm not sure. We have a lot of crime and since some of them are so horrific and the Constitution's 8th Amendment says that the punishment must fit the crime it seems fitting. But that's just me. It's a very good question though.

Good question. It may have something to do with the remnants of a frontier mentality. It is also a fact that the United States incarcerates its people at a higher rate than any other nation in the entire world. Here is a link to an article from the New York Times that may help answer your question:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/us/23prison.html?_r=2&sq=Adam%20Liptak&st=nyt&adxnnl= 1&scp=5&pagewanted=1&adxnnlx=1209356787-GOBdkuw/cbJEknG64QKr8w&oref=sloginHowever, Americans are taking a fresh look at the death penalty system in action, mostly because of the rising number of death row exonerees.