Chapter 11

The Death Penalty

"An evil deed is not redeemed by an evil deed of retaliation. Justice is never advanced in the taking of human life. Morality is never upheld by legalized murder."

- Coretta Scott King-

Discuss this in class:

Is death penalty a fair punishment or is it murder?

So far 100 countries have abolished the death penalty, but the United States has increased its rate of executions.

38 states have the death penalty on their statue book. 12 states are without capital punishment; these are Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine; Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Texas has the largest number of executions. Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, 104 executions have been proceeded by lethal injection, and still more people are awaiting a similar fate.

In the past 20 years 387 people have been put to death in the US. More than 3300 are sentenced to death and are waiting for the execution. In most American states only first-degree murder by an adult is punishable by death.

However, in 24 US states people can be sentenced to death for a crime they have committed before the age of 18.

People in favor of death penalty give two major reasons for their view.

1.      Death is the only punishment that fits the crime. If you kill someone, you should be killed.

2.      Death penalty will prevent more horrible crimes to be committed. The individual will no longer be able to hurt anyone else.

People who oppose death penalty will claim:

1.      Death penalty is not only cruel but also, ineffective and unfair. The juries are human beings and can make mistakes. Murder rates have gone up, not down, this shows that capital punishment does not help prevent crime.

2.          Death penalty is simply state-sanctioned murder.

          It is an attack on human dignity and a violation of

          human rights.

Recent surveys have shown that there is widespread support for death penalty among Americans. Over 70% of people believe that it is a just punishment for capital crimes committed by adults. However, despite general support, when it comes to looking into the face of an individual and saying that they deserve to die, many people are hesitant. Juries have difficulty sentencing a convicted  murderer to death.

METHODS OF DEATH

Executions are usually performed at midnight when everything else is quiet at the prison.

Outside the gates, protesters carry candles and wave signs.

Inside, all prison security officers are on duty.

The prisoner is led into the room where he is to die, secured to a chair or table, and fitted with heart-rate monitors. He is then left alone. Select witnesses watch the execution through a special viewing window. After the prisoner has died, a doctor signs a death warrant and the body is taken to a morgue where it is prepared for burial.

The following are legal methods of execution in the US:

Lethal injection

The convict is strapped down to a table, arms stretched out in a cross. An attendant inserts an intravenous tube, similar to those used for anesthesia during surgery, into the convict's arm. From behind the window, a correction officer presses a button that releases a deadly dose of barbiturates through the tube. The convict falls into a deep sleep, his heart rate and breathing slow, and within minutes, stop.

Gas chamber

The convict is strapped into a chair in an airtight room. From outside the room an attendant causes sodium cyanide pellets to be dropped into a bucket of acid located beneath the convict's chair. The fumes cause death within ten minutes.

Hanging

The convict has a hood placed over his head and has his hands bound behind his back. He is led to a platform and a noose is placed over his head. The attendant causes the platform beneath the convict's feet to fall away quickly. The force of the drop snaps the spinal column. Death occurs within seconds. Hanging was earlier a common form of execution, but is legal in only three states today.

Electrocution

The convict is strapped into a wooden chair, a helmet is placed on his head and the helmet is strapped to a brace behind the chair. Electrodes are attached to the head and one leg. The warden flips a switch causing five amperes of current at 2,000 volts to flow into the body. The electricity interferes with brain and nerve function and causes death within three minutes.

Firing Squad

The convict has a hood placed over his head and is made to stand against a concrete wall. On command, a dozen shooters take aim and fire several rounds into the convict. Depending on the number of bullets and their placement, death may be instant or take several minutes. Once a common form of military execution, the firing squad is legal only in one state today.