Capital Punishment in the StatesĪs far as capital punishment in the states goes, lethal injection is the most commonly used method in the 31 states that allow the death penalty. In fact, research shows that white individuals are more likely to support the death penalty when the perpetrator is black. Still another argument in the debate over capital punishment is that some believe there is a racial, ethnic, or class bias, and that members of one race, for instance, receive the death penalty more than members of any other race. Another argument in the debate over capital punishment is that, in some cases, individuals who may be innocent might receive the death penalty, leading to a miscarriage of justice. Some people do not believe in “an eye for an eye,” and instead believe that prisons should focus on rehabilitating inmates so they can be productive members of society when they eventually get out of prison. Debate over Capital PunishmentĪs one might expect, there exists considerable debate over capital punishment. Other countries consider something as harmless as witchcraft or a minor drinking alcohol (not even being drunk, but simply drinking it) to be a capital crime. In some countries, crimes such as treason, espionage, and attempting to overthrow the government are all capital crimes. What this means is that if a person kills someone, he risks the death penalty as a possible punishment.Ĭrimes against humanity, like genocide, also typically qualify as capital crimes. For instance, murder is almost always a capital crime, no matter where you go. There are several crimes that qualify as a “capital crime,” and they tend to vary by country, and sometimes even by state. Craig Beyler to review the case, and he found that arson was not a guarantee in this situation. The Texas Forensic Science Commission hired Dr. Take, for example, Cameron Todd Willingham, whom Texas put to death in February of 2004 for the murder of his three daughters by arson. There are also several capital punishment examples in Texas wherein people believed that the person executed was innocent. One of the earlier capital punishment examples to come out of Texas was of convicted murderer Nathan Lee, the last man to be hanged in the state since 1923. The first recorded execution in the state of Texas occurred in 1819, when the state executed George Brown for the crime of piracy. Texas was also the first state to carry out lethal injections specifically, when it put Charles Brooks, Jr. This is because Texas is the first state to actually carry out the death penalty. Many examples of capital punishment come out of the state of Texas. Most historical records show that capital punishment has been a cornerstone in the development of the justice system in nearly every society.
Today, prisons still rely on lethal injection, the firing squad, and the electric chair. There was also flaying, impalement, and, of course, hanging.
The history of capital punishment involves some brutal methods involving everything from drawing and quartering, to burning people at the stake, or boiling them alive. So, the only viable solution, they decided, was to kill the criminal. The authorities had no way to ensure they could keep criminals locked away from society, and they did not know of any other way to deter them from committing a similar crime in the future. In fact, those who have researched the history of capital punishment have found that until prison systems were instituted around the 19th century, there existed no alternative as a punishment for a crime. The history of capital punishment goes back a very long time – to the very beginning of life as we know it. Criminologists agree that this harsh penalty does nothing to dissuade someone from committing murder. What is perhaps most interesting in the public perception of the death penalty is the opinion of the country’s police chiefs, who believe the death penalty is the least effective with respect to deterring crime. Life in jail with the possibility of parole.Life in jail with no possibility of parole.Life in jail with no possibility of parole, but with restitution paid to the victim’s family.
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