From the time the first colonists arrived in the late Sixteen Hundreds Pennsylvania executions were carried out by public hanging (Cor.state.pa.us, 2014). In Eighteen Forty Three, Pennsylvania became the first state to abolish public hangings. From Eighteen Thirty Four until Nineteen Fifty Three each county was responsible for carrying out private hanging of criminal within the wall of the county jail. In Nineteen Thirteen the responsibility of executions was passed on to the state and the electric chair took the place of hanging (Cor.state.pa.us, 2014).. Western Penitentiary in Centre County, now known as the State Correctional Institution at Rockview, was selected by the state legislature as the location for the Electric Chair. Even though …show more content…
(7) The defendant caused or directed another to commit murder, or the defendant procured the commission of the offense by payment, promise of payment, or anything of pecuniary value (8) The defendant has been convicted of, or committed, a prior murder, a felony involving violence, or other serious felony (9)The victim was a child under 12 years of age (10)At the time of the killing the victim was in her third trimester of pregnancy or the defendant had knowledge of the victim’s pregnancy (11) The victim was a government employee, including peace officers, police officers, federal agents, firefighters, judges, jurors, defense attorneys, and prosecutors, in the course of his or her duties (12)The victim was a pubic servant concerned in official detention who was killed in the performance of his duties or as a result of his official position (13)The victim was the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, a deputy attorney general, district attorney, assistant district attorney, member of the general assembly, governor, lieutenant governor, auditor general, state treasurer who was killed in the performance of his duties or as a result of his official position (14)The murder was committed against a person held as a shield, as a hostage, or for
Death Penalty Information Center . (2013, Nov. 20). Retrieved from States With and Without the Death Penalty : http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/states-and-without-death-penalty
Hess, D., McKnight, T. L., & Tasa, D. (2011). McKnight's physical geography (Custom ed. for California State University, Northridge ; 2nd Calif. ed.). New York: Learning Solutions.
Randa, Laura E. “Society’s Final Solution: A History and Discussion of the Death Penalty.” (1997). Rpt.in History of the Death Penalty. Ed. Michael H. Reggio. University Press of America, Inc., 1997. 1-6 Print.
Georgia started their capital punishment in 1735.(DPIC) The first person to be executed in Georgia was” Alice Ryley”. She killed her master “Will Wise.” In Georgia the first method of execution was hanging. Fortunately, the last hangings occurred in 1925 would have been to public which would be impermissible in the courts. So they transferred them to Columbus, Georgia. Here in Columbus they could legally execute them. By 1924 Georgia terminated the idea of hanging instead they performed electrocutions. Additionally, this was the same year they installed the “electric chair “in Georgia Sta...
Capital punishment barely made its way into American society. In Britain, public executions were festive and frequent in the 15th century. At the same time a movement to abolish the death penalty gained support throughout Europe. In 1753, Russia became the first important nation to ban the death penalty. The English instilled the death penalty upon America when it was just a colony. Ben Franklin opposed the death penalty as he helped write the Bill of Rights and the well alluded to 8th Amendment. In 1846 Michigan was the first to repeal capital punishment. By 1917, ten states had repealed capital punishment.
Radelet, Michael L., updated by the Death Penalty Information Center. Post-Furman Botched Executions. The Death Penalty Information Center
Sharp, Dudley. "Death Penalty Paper." Death Penalty Paper. Justice For All, n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
December 7th, 1982. Texas was the first state to carry out the use of lethal injections to kill these monsters. Texas adopted the new method of execution, switching to the use of lethal injections rather than using electrocution. Lethal injections are a humane method of punishing brutal killers. Lethal injections are moral and constitutional because they execute criminals who committed heinous crimes.
The Eighth Amendment was ratified on December 15, 1791 and it states “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” (Rossum & Tarr, 2009). However, since the latter part of the 1970’s the United States has proceeded with the execution of 1277 convicted felons (Death Penalty Information Center, 2011). To many people these executions represent a violation of the felon’s constitutional rights and should not have been allowed. On the other hand, if we take an in-depth look, we can see that death caused by electrocution or lethal injection recognizably would not be considered immoral or unjustified provided that the felon was granted a fair trial in a court of law (Bedau, Cassell, 2004).
Guernsey, J. B. (2010). Death penalty: fair solution or moral failure. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. Retrieved February 8, 2011 from http://books.google.com/books?id=38slHSsFFrgC&pg=PA125&dq=death+penalty+in+other+countries&hl=en&ei=F6dQTZHLBsm_tgfD7rHBCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD4Q6AEwBDgU#v=onepage&q=death%20penalty%20in%20other%20countries&f=false
Recommendations on the Administration of the Death Penalty in California. Retrieved from The California Commission on the Fair Admission of Justice website http://www.ccfaj.org/documents/reports/dp/official/FINAL%20REPORT%20DEATH%20PENALTY.pdf
In the United States, many crimes are considered to be punishable by a life sentence or a sentence of a few years. However, many crimes have earned people capital punishment, also known as the death penalty. The first known death penalty was acknowledge by a legal document known as the Code of Hummarubi. In this document, written in the 1700s, it is mentioned that twenty-five crimes were punished by death. The crimes included being unfaithful to one's partner and even helping slaves escape (Guernsey, 2009). By 1846, the state of Michigan became one of the first US states to abolish the death penalty for all committed crimes. Michigan now replaces the death penalty with life imprisonment (Bohm, 2007). However, then the inventor Thomas Edison conducted his experiment on the use of electrocution on animals. In 1890, New York State became the first state to practice execution by electrocution on an electric chair on William Kemmler. This method then became a preferred method of execution (Guernsey, 2009). By 1924, the first lethal gas in American history was carried out in Carson City, Nev. It was known as a less severe execution compared to hanging, firing squad, or electrocution (The history channel, 2009). Many states, including Washington State, Connecticut, and recently Maryland have suspended the idea of the death penalty. Even though many perpetrators have committed a criminal offence and have affected many families, and the families might want the worst for that person, no one deserves to have to be put on death row because it is inhumane, and it is not teaching the future generations of what Americans value. The death penalty should not be practices on any criminal because it is inhumane, it is expensive, and many criminals m...
The very first legal executions came in the United States was during the Revolutionary War against Great Britain. British soldiers hung the first person to die by the death penalty, Nathan Hale, for espionage (Farrell).
Pasquerella, Lynn. “The Death Penalty in the United States.” The Study Circle Resource Center of Topsfield Foundation. July 1991. Topsfield Foundation. 03 Feb 2011. Web.
Today American correction facilities experience a crisis of epic proportions. United States prisons and jails house inmates in record numbers with no relief. This situation leads many to suggest that overcrowding in prisons constitutes an important issue facing American correction reform today. One way to deal with overcrowded prisons is to enforce the death penalty. According to David Davis, infliction of the death penalty for certain secular crimes, such as murder and robbery, associates historically with the rise of the modern state (23). He also states, in England the death penalty was rationally defended as a means for protecting the king’s peace (23). Capital punishment dates back to 1787, where tactics were used such as decapitation, firing squads, and hangings. Just recently death penalties were carried out by means of electrocution and lethal injection. Enforcing capital punishment ensures a means of reducing recidivism for those who commit heinous crimes. Heinous crimes that consist of proven murders, terrorist situations, and rape deserve the death penalty. Increasing capital punishment promotes the reform of prisons by reducing recidivism, increasing deterrence, and decreasing prison population.