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latter obviously took precedence, which ended the use of the electric chair (from 1924-2000 it was Florida's sole means of execution) and replaced it with lethal injection.

However, the lethal injection itself was the subject of many controversies; ironically, Florida again was the topic of conversation. Angel Nieves Diaz, sentenced to death for murder, met his fate on December 13, 2006 when he was executed. But the execution did not go as planned; it was botched. When the lethal dose was administered, Diaz did not die from the lethal drugs after 35 minutes. Therefore, a second dose was administered to finish him off. Rightfully so, the half an hour that it took to execute Diaz was considered cruel and unusual punishment according to opponents.

Finally, opponents argue that it is racially biased and handed down randomly. Is it really biased? No question about it. African Americans on death row make up more than 40 percent despite the fact that they make up less than 20 percent of the general population. Moreover, various scholarly researches show that it is not the race of the defendant but the race of the victim which is the sole predictor of whether a death sentence is rendered. In more concrete language, it means this: when a black man kills a white person, he is more likely to be given the death penalty; when a white person kills a black person, most likely he will not be given the death penalty.

Is the death penalty handed down randomly? Yes. For example, a serial killer by the name of Gary Ridgeway (Green River Killer) admitted to 48 killings of prostitutes and received a life sentence. Dennis Rader, also known as BTK (Bind, Torture, and Kill), confessed in 2005 to murdering 10 people (from 1974-1941) after his capture, and was sentenced to life in prison.

However, other killers who have murdered one person sit on death row while others have been executed, including those with mental illnesses. Pedro Medina murdered one person and was executed in 1997. David Kevin Hocker was executed (after a one-day trail) for the murder of one person in 2004, although he had a mental illness which failed to be explained properly in court. The list goes on and on. Since the return of the death penalty in the late 70s, hundreds of executions have taken place for those who have committed 1 or 2 murders.

How can a person who kills so many innocent souls get life in prison, while a person who kills one or two people is executed? It just doesn't make sense and shows

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