Prior to presenting your discussion postings watch the The State of the Death Penalty in the United States video, read the Cruel and Unusual Punishment (Links to an external site.) article, the Death Penalty (Links to an external site.) article, The Death Knell for the Death Penalty: Judge Carney’s Order to Kill Capital Punishment Rings Loud Enough to Reach the Supreme Court (Links to an external site.) article and review the Supreme Court Opinion synopses.

Discuss the current status of the death penalty in the United States.

If your last name begins with A through M, make sure that your primary response covers the following points:

• State whether you support or are against the death penalty and why.
• For what crimes is the death penalty currently legal in the United States?
• Is it legal to execute someone who was a juvenile at the time of the crime?
• Be sure to support your answer with scholarly sources and appellate court opinions.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references.