Capital Punishment Of The United States

This criminal code is one of the most sophisticated in the country and has become a model for other states to follow. But research studies conducted to compare effects of the death penalty nationwide have shown some conflicting results. Comparison studies done to show homicide rates of retentionist and abolitionist jurisdictions from 1999 to 2001 (Sorenson & Pilgrim) have shown that death penalty states tend to have a higher murder rate than abolitionist states. This result creates the argument of the overall deterrent effect of execution. Texas is still in the top 20 of states with the highest homicide rate even though it is the highest in death penalty executions. “If the death penalty were a deterrent, the argument goes, then Texas should be located among those states with the lowest homicide rates” (Sorenson & Pilgrim, P. 25).

There are currently 31 states with the death penalty. The states are Alabama, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Mississippi, South Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, South Dakota, California, Montana, Tennessee, Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, Florida, Utah, Nevada, Georgia, New hampshire, Virginia, Idaho, North Carolina, Washington, Indiana, Ohio, Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, And Oregon. All of these states have lethal injection. Three have hangings. Eigth have electrocution. Three have lethal gas. Two have firing squad. There are eighteen states without the death penalty. The states are Alaska, Michigan, Vermont, Connecticut, Minnesota, West Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Hawaii, New Mexico, Illinois, New York, Iowa, North Dakota, Maine, Rhode Island, Maryland Massachusetts.Maryland was the most recent to abolish the death penalty in the year 2013.

The constitution says nothing pertaining to capital punishment, thus the supreme court left the decision up to individual states to decide what to do with their residents. Some states, such as Michigan, do not partake in the death penalty. Eighteen states have completely outlawed the act, and many more have not executed a person in over a decade.

Lawmakers in Florida voted on whether or not they should change the state’s death penalty statute. The death penalty system in Florida is a bit different than it is in other states. Instead of the jury deciding who is given the death penalty, the judge decides. The new bill that was passed stated that at least 10 out of the 12 jurors had to recommend the death penalty, not just a majority. A judge in Alabama, “ruled that her state’s capital sentencing setup was unconstitutional.” The judge said judges are overriding jury recommendations when it comes to the death penalty. Alabama attempted to halt an inmate’s execution because of the similarities it had to the Florida system that was shut down. After hearing these things about both Alabama and Florida, Utah actually abolished the capital punishment. Due to the changes being made, two different executions that were supposed to occur this month were put on hold.

In order to limit the number of crimes, keeping innocent people from getting executed, and save the taxpayers millions of dollars, we need to eliminate the death penalty in all states for good. Capital punishment has occurred in the U.S. since colonial times. Since then, more than 13,000 people have been lawfully executed. There are 31 states that still allow the death penalty, and they must change. These states need to eliminate it on the grounds that it transmits a dangerous risk of punishing the innocent, it is wrong and cruel, and is an ineffective prevention of crime versus the other option of life in prison without parole.

Capital punishment has been a part of our government since the seventeenth century. Although the capital law of the thirteen colonies differed from one another, many interesting and important details concerning the death penalty and

Based on these rules, crimes such as rejecting the “God,” were punished by death. (Randa, 1997).In nineteenth century, many states decreased the number of their capital offenses and constructed state prisons. In 1834, Pennsylvania moved the execution law away from the public eye. In 1846, Michigan, another state of America, eliminated the death penalty for all offenses except betrayal. After all, Rhode Island and Wisconsin were two states that put end for all crimes. After years challenging, the elimination of death penalty except for some severe cases was approved in 1972.

Death penalty is one of the most controversial topic brought up in American politics. Within America, there are 31 states that carry out the death penalty and only 19 states that have abolished the practice. Many people are concerned whether or not the death penalty is beneficial to decreasing the amount of crime rates. Recently, the Supreme Court had a meeting to discuss the death penalty and if it went against the eight amendment. The eighth amendment states that it has banned cruel and unusual punishments but the death penalty is going against the idea. Compared to the late 1990s the number of executions in America has decreased. In 2015, there were only 28 executions with 48 new death sentences. 2015 was the year that had the lowest number

that still have the death penalty. While Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, and Hawaii are a part of the 19 states that do not. Of the 19 states without the death penalty, the most recent to abolish it was Delaware. Their time with death row ending in 2016, while the second most recent were Connecticut in 2012. Many of the other states to abolish the death penalty had ranged from the late 1880’s to the late 50’s, 70’s and 80’s along with some in the early 2000’s, including New York in 2007. Moreover, the states with a death penalty, have many different ways to distribute it. Such as, Electrocution, Firing Squad, Lethal Gas, Hanging, and most common, Lethal

Thus, it is not surprising that most people who are languishing in jail are those living below the poverty line that have no means to pay for a competent lawyer to defend themselves in a court of law.

Capital Punishment “[dates] as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon, which codified [Capital Punishment] for 25 different crimes,” so it is no surprise that it is still used today (“Early Death…” 1). In the U.S, Capital Punishment has been legalized in 32 states since 1996. Capital Punishment is not as inhumane as it sounds; it is limited under the 8th amendment in the U.S. Contrary to most beliefs, Capital Punishment is not used on every case of rapists, molesters, or murders, only in cases when necessary. In most states, capital punishment is only used for certain crimes. For example, “Michigan became the first state to abolish the death penalty for all crimes except treason” (“Early Death…”

The U.S. is one of the few major industrialized nations to permit capital punishment. However, this statement must be made with a caveat: the United States permits capital punishment but leaves it up to the states to decide whether the death penalty is acceptable. Since the death penalty is currently not considered 'cruel and unusual' punishment according to the U.S. Supreme Court, it is within the rights of individual states to make decisions about its application. "The U.S. now houses three sorts of jurisdictions: states without the death penalty by law ('abolitionist states'), states with the death penalty but insignificant numbers of executions ('symbolic states'), and states with both the death penalty in law and in practice states actively carrying out executions ('executing states')" (Steiker & Steiker 2006:1).

Capital Punishment was adopted by America when the state of Virginia carried out the colonies’ first execution in 1608 (“History of the Death Penalty”). Since then, usage of the death penalty has been instituted by 36 states, making execution the ultimate form of punishment. Although in theory the death penalty seems like a viable method of punishment, in practice, it has serious flaws that damage the integrity of the state. Capital Punishment has been falsely idolized as a deterrent, applied unfairly for generations, used as a vehicle for revenge, and made people blind to the fact that life in prison without parole is an equally acceptable form of punishment. The death penalty is an

As of now 31 states still currently use capital punishment. These states have it for child rape, treason, and kidnapping. As time went on the states that remained using this have less methods of doing so. The remaining methods include lethal injection as well as even fewer have the electric chair. Many states refuse to use hanging.

There are still 19 states that currently don’t have the death penalty. (Dunham) Some states that don’t have the death penalty are Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, and Maine. 4 states have gubernatorial moratoria and the 4 states that have this are Colorado, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington. (Dunham) And 27 states do currently have the death penalty. Some states that have the death penalty are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, and Ohio. (Dunham)