The document discusses capital punishment and deterrence in the criminal justice system. It argues that the death penalty is still legal in many US states but has been abolished in Canada since 1976. While some states claim it deters crime and is a just punishment, there is no clear evidence that it deters more than life imprisonment. The death penalty is also unfairly applied depending on factors like race - African Americans are more likely to receive the death penalty, and it is disproportionately applied in cases with white victims.