According to dictionary.com Capital Punishment is defined as a punishment by death for a crime; death penalty. Some people argue whether or not capital punishment is cruel and unusual. I believe that if you do the crime and are put on death row then there is a reason for you to be there; therefore, you deserve the punishment.
A brief chronological history of capital punishment according to The Death Penalty begins in 1792 when the guillotine was developed by Dr. Joseph Guillotin. Up until 1972 states abolished the death penalty and restored it and abolished it again until 1972 when the United States Supreme Court ruled the "capital punishment laws, as enforced, were unconstitutional." However, the Supreme Court re-instituted the death penalty. In 1982 the first death by lethal injection took place in Texas. From that time on people were sentenced to death row and put to death all the way until today and will continue to be in the future.
In the Bible it says, "He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death" (Chapter 21, Verse 12, Exodus).
According to a www.clarkprosecutor.org there are five ways of execution: Lethal Injection, Electrocution, Lethal Gas, Firing Squad, and Hanging.
Lethal Injection (www.amnestyusa.org)
--The Process
-The prisoner is bound to a gurney; two needles are inserted into the prisoner's veins and a saline solution is injected.
-Sodium thiopental, an anesthetic, is injected to put the prisoner to sleep.
-Pavulon, or pancuronium bromide, is released, inducing paralysis and stopping breathing.
-Finally, the flow of potassium chloride stops the heart. This chemical can cause excruciating pain if the prisoner is still conscious.
Electrocution/Electric Chair (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org)
In this kind of death the person is usually shaved (head) and strapped into a chair with belts that cross his/her chest, groin, legs, and arms. Then, they apply a metal skullcap shaped electrode over the scalp and put saline on a sponge and put it on your forehead. They also moisten with a conductive jelly and placed onto a portion of the prisoner's leg that has been shaved in order to reduce the resistance to the electricity. After that the prisoner is then blindfolded. Once the execution team is out of the observation room the warden then signals the executioner, who then pulls the handle to connect the power supply. This causes a jolt between 500 to 2000 volts to go into the body for about 30 seconds. Once the electricity is turned off they wait for the body to relax. The doctors then wait for a few minutes until the body is cooled down so that they can check the prisoner's heart beat to see if it is still beating. If the heart is still beating another jolt is sent through the inmate's body and that process is repeated until the prisoner is dead.
Lethal Gas/Gas Chamber (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org)
In this method the prisoner is strapped into a chair inside an air tight chamber. Underneath the chair is a pail that contains sulfuric acid. Usually a long stethoscope is attached onto the body in order for the doctor to pronounce death. The room is sealed once everyone has left the chamber. After that the warden then gives the signal to the executioner who then flicks a lever that releases crystals of sodium cyanide into the pail below the inmate which causes for hydrogen cyanide gas to be released. In order for the process to go faster the prisoner is instructed to breathe deeply. However, most prisoners attempt to hold their breathe and some even struggle. The inmate, however, does not lose their consciousness immediately. When the inmate does die it is from the cutting-off of oxygen to the brain. After the prisoner is dead precautionary measures are taken so that only the deceased suffers from the poisonous gas.
Firing Squad (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org)
In this method of execution the prisoner is usually bound to a chair with straps across his waist and head in front an oval-shaped canvas wall. To absorb the blood, the chair is surrounded by sandbags and a black hood is pulled over the prisoner's head. A doctor locates the prisoner's heart and then puts a white circle cloth target over the heart. Five shooters armed with .30 caliber rifles with single rounds stand in an enclosed area 20 feet away with one of the shooters have blank rounds. The shooters aim their rifles through a slot in the canvas and then they fire. The prisoner dies due to blood loss caused by a rupture heart and if the heart is missed then the inmate bleeds to death slowly.
Hanging (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org)
In this method of execution the prisoner is usually weighed the day before their execution and a rehearsal is done with sandbags that match the inmates weight in order to determine the length of the drop so that the death is quick. The rope and knot must apply to certain regulations so that the death is done right and quickly. Right before the execution the prisoner's hands and legs are secured, the inmate is blindfolded, the noose is placed behind the neck, and the knot is placed behind the left ear. A trap door is opened and the inmate falls through causing the execution to take place. The weight of the inmate should cause a rapid fracture-dislocation of the neck, although immediate death rarely ever occurs. If something goes wrong then bad things happen to the inmate.
Most states only use one of these methods and certain methods are only used by a few states.
According to Capital Punishment statistics show the between 1977-2005 584 white people, 339 black, 67 Hispanics, and 14 of other races were executed. Other statistics show that between 1977-2005 persons executed in Texas were 35%, Virginia was 9%, Oklahoma was 8%, Missouri was 7%, Florida was 6%, Georgia was 4%, North Carolina was 4%, and all other states were 27%. From 1973-2005 35% of prisoners sentences or convictions were overturned, 13% were executed, 4% died of other causes, 4% had their sentence commuted, and 44% still remained on death row. Statistics were also provided of how many years prisoners were on death row before execution along with many other statistics being given as well.
Today arguments are still made about the death penalty and how it is used. I believe that these arguments and opinions will always exist but that you have to decide for yourself as to how you feel about it.
This topic is very personal to me so I can assure you that the information I used is valid and accurate information that was used from internet sites, books, as well as the Bible. I hope that the information helps you to learn more about the death penalty as well as help you decide as to how you feel about it.
Works Cited
"Capital Punishment | Define Capital Punishment at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 08 Mar. 2010.
"Descriptions of Execution Methods |." Death Penalty Information Center. Web. 09 Mar. 2010.
Evans, Kimberly Masters. Capital Punishment: Cruel and Unusual? Detroit, Mi.: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2008. Print.
Gottfried, Ted. Brookfield: Twenty-First Century, 2002. Print.
The Holy Bible. Glasgow [Scotland]: Collins, 1989. Print.
"Lethal Injection." Amnesty International USA - Protect Human Rights. Web. 08 Mar. 2010.
"Methods of Execution." Welcome to the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Web. 08 Mar. 2010.
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