Death Penalty
CJ526: Academic and Professional Communications in Public Safety
Dr. Ron Wallace
December 17, 2012
Death Penalty 2
The Death Penalty is a violation of human rights. Capital Punishment has been practiced in just about every society. It is a debate that brings about feelings that many believe capital punishment is unfairly imposed, while others believe that it is justified for human crimes. The death penalty is handed down for first-degree, premeditated murder. There are different forms of execution that are used today: Lethal Injection, gas chamber, electrocution, hanging, and the firing squad. Today, (USDOJ, 2010) Hanging is the oldest method of execution in the United States, and was replaced by electrocution as the most common method. There have been only 3 executions by hanging since 1977: Westley Dodd (WA, 1993), Charles Campbell (WA, 1994), and Billy Bailey (DE, 1998).
“The first established death penalty laws date as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon, which codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes. The death penalty was also part of the Fourteenth Century B.C.'s Hittite Code; in the Seventh Century B.C.'s Draconian Code of Athens, which made death the only punishment for all crimes; and in the Fifth Century B.C.'s Roman law of the Twelve Tablets. Death sentences were carried out by such means as crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, and impalement.” http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/part-i-history-death-penalty
During the 1960’s, there was challenges regarding whether or not the death penalty was legal. Many believed that under the Eighth Amendment, this was considered to be “cruel and unusual punishment.
Oklahoma became the first state to authorize lethal injection - currently the most common form of execution. Texas believed that lethal
