Capital Punishment.
The word "capital" in "capital punishment" refers to a person's head. In the past, people were often executed by severing their head from their body. Today, in the U.S., most prisoners are executed by lethal injection.
The United States is one of the very few industrialized countries in the world which continues to execute criminals. Further, it is one of a handful of countries in the world which executes mentally ill persons, persons with very low IQ, and child murderers (i.e. persons who were under 18 at the time of their crime).
The death penalty in the U.S. is essentially a product of Southern culture. During 2002:
61 of the 71 executions were in Southern states.
Outside the South, only three States (California, Ohio and Missouri) executed anyone.
From 1976, when executions were resumed, until 2003-JAN-1, there have been 820 executions in the US. This includes 66 during 2001 and 71 in 2002. About two out of three executions are conducted in only five states: Texas, Virginia, Missouri, Florida and Oklahoma. Texas leads the other states in number of killings. In late 2002, there were about 3,697 prisoners sentenced to death in 37 state death rows, and 31 being held by the U.S. government and military. 7 About 1.5% are women. 102 have been exonerated and freed since 1973, largely after having been proven innocent by DNA evidence.
In spite of the slight increase in U.S. executions between 2001 and 2002, the number of new death sentences decreased significantly. The Washington Post commented in late 2002 that "outside of a few states, the death penalty remains in decline....a few states account for the overwhelming majority of all executions. The more isolated they become, the greater the pressure for reform will be." 1,2
When asked whether they prefer to keep or...
More Death Penalty
essays:
The Death Penalty Process.
... death penalty, there were a total of two executions. In 1999, there were 98 executions, and in 2000 there were 85. An overwhelming number of these executions were carried out by lethal injection. The capital-punishment process begins when a person ...
An Analysis of the Death Penalty Controversy in America
... of the death penalty have also pointed out that the murder rate is overwhelmingly higher in the United States than in other countries where capital punishment does not exist. Retentionists say the argument that the average person will ...
OPPOSING VIEWS ON THE DEATH PENALTY IN THE U.S
... persons are presently known to have been executed" (Landau 55). They say that society doesn't need Death Penalty to lower crime rate in the country. "The organization points to Canada, where the homicide rate has dropped 27% since Capital Punishment ...
Is Death Penalty Justifiable?
... that the rich and white prisoners do not. 3. The death penalty condemns the innocent to die. There is absolutely no proof for this statement. Before any person is executed in this country, twelve ...
Capital punishment, the legal infliction of the death penalty
... to the death penalty is life in prison. Capital punishment has been around for thousands of years as a means of eradicating criminals. A giant debate started between supporters and opposers of execution, over the morality ...
Capital Punishment, the road to a corrupt criminal justice system, must be abolished for the sake of society. The death penalty is unfair towards society members, such as tax payers, innocent people, and the criminal as well.
... of the death penalty to be $137 million. California's death row of 670 inmates accounts for about $63.3 million. The average annual costs of a system that imposes lifetime sentencing in prison instead of capital punishment are ...
Capital Punishment - The Death Penalty
... innocent person may be put to death, most agree this may unfortunately happen. However, we must protect the people of this country from killers, and unfortunately, short of calling in the army, we have tried all other options. Capital statutes ...
Capital Punishment -pro Death penalty
... by the Criminal Justice Institute in Middletown, Connecticut" (Christian Science Monitor, Internet). There is no stopping these inmates from committing further crimes within the prison, if they are already facing the maximum punishment. Anti-death penalty advocates ...