Vanessa Ott Period 2 Honors American History

 Death Penalty  Planned taking of a human life  Government’s Response to a crime committed

 “Ultimate denial of human rights”  “Violates the right to life”  “In-human and degrading punishment”  “Some defendants have earned the ultimate punishment  “Life is sacred”  “ Society has no right to keep the murder from killing again”  Teach that killing is wrong by killing

 Has not always been practiced in U.S  About 13,000 people have been executed  Peak in the depression era  nullified the death penalty  ,167 people have been executed

 Democratic countries in Europe have abolished capital punishment over last 50 years.  In the US government retain it  Crimes vary from treason-murder-theft

 Officially sanctioned by 34 states  Each state has different laws regarding  Laws, Methods, Age limits, Crimes which qualify

 The case of “ Stanley “Tookie” Williams  Dr. Williams, author &Nobel Peace & Literature Prize Nominee  Put to death on December 13, 2005  Brought capital punishment back into debate

 Williams convicted for four murders  Professed innocence of theses crimes  Co-founder of the crips  Gang that is responsible for hundreds of murders  Five years of incarnation  Religious conversion  Published books that promoted peace & anitgang activist

 Little doubt that he committed murders  No further threat to society  Contribute considerable good  Put to death on December 13,2005  lethal injection

 Someone who would cause more harm  Punish the criminal  Deter others from committing murder  Incapable of rehabilitation

 “Cruel and unusual punishment”  - prohibited by the 8 th amendment  Used disproportionately against poor  Wrongly convicted  Not “pro-life”

 Only used for aggravated murder  Some states have banned it  52 executions in 2009  Texas has the largest amount of executions

 Hanging  Electric Chair  Lethal injection  Gas Chamber  Firing Squad

 Many countries abolished it  Iran is the biggest executer of juvenile offenders  3, 350 sentenced to death in 51 countries  20,000 prisoners on death row across world

 Section of prisons awaiting execution  Found guilty then sentenced to execution  Remain on death row while during procedure  Form of mental cruelty  Become mentally ill  Death row phenomenon

 1913 Electric Chair “Old Smokey”  Unconstitutional  Two Dozen removed from death row  Only 3 executed since 1976  Lethal Injection

 Annual cost - $137 million per year  Average cost of death case is $620,932  State pays to defend and prosecute death row inmates  “Life in imprisonment without parole”  Same result as capital punishment  Far less expensive

 Abolitionist for all crimes  - no death penalty for any crime  Abolitionist for ordinary crimes  - exceptional crimes only  Abolitionist in practice  retain for ordinary crimes – murder  Believed to have policy of non- executions present  Receptionist  Retains for ordinary crimes