Capital Punishment

Abstract

This paper is about Capital punishment and the various factors associated with it. It is considered as a severe punishment associated to a big case. The paper focuses over death penalties and when a person is liable to one.

Table of Contents

Abstractii

Introduction1

Discussion1

Conclusion6

References8

Capital Punishment

Introduction

Capital punishment in the United States comes under the section of Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution. It is a severe punishment in relation to homicide and other cases such as those crimes committed against the state, or against the law as well as against humanity (www.en.wikipedia.org). The crime must be committed by an adult who should also be mentally competent.

Discussion

In practical application, it is used only in those cases in which exasperating situation exist. For example, aggravated or motivated murder, killing based on contract and felony murder. Death penalty was a punishment at common law (Bedau, 1994). Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for a variety of crimes and was obligatory in almost every American state preceding the Declaration of Independence. The capital punishment is presently a legal punishment in around 37 states as well as in the centralized civilian and military officially authorized systems (Anonymous, 2002). The way of implementation of punishment and the felony subjected to the punishment depends upon jurisdiction and is widely diverse throughout time; however one of the most common methods of practice for the past few decades has been the use of a lethal injection (www.en.wikipedia.org). There were almost 37 death penalties in the United States, in 2008. In the year 2011, 43 prisoners executed in 13 states and 47 prisoners in the year 2010.

Death penalty is a debatable and much controversial communal issue in the United States of America. Even if, a greater majority of the people of American had preferred and favored it when it comes to the punishments related to murder, but, the degree of this favor has diminished (Bedau, 1994). There has been much opposition regarding the death penalty in the United States from various parts of the population. In 2012, around seventeen states of America, including Washington banned the death penalty in their respective states. Although the height of the support of common public today is somehow lesser than as compared to the 80's and 90's. The highest rate up to date is 80 percent in 1994, but it has been mostly inactive over the past decade.

A poll conducted in 2011 showed that almost 61 % of native people of America favored murder, whereas 35 percent were against it. It was the lowest point of support recorded in the poll after 1972. Once, the option of life in prison without parole included in the poll as a result of which the population was much equally divided. The poll conducted in 2010 showed that 49 % of Americans favored the penalty of death while 46 % preferred a life in prison without parole.

The first death sentence recorded in the year 1608, in the North American territories on Captain George ...