Checklist/Poster Project

Research:

 

http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/dpusa.htm

http://deathpenalty.procon.org

      The topic I was given was capital punishment otherwise know as the death penalty. Briefly giving you an overview and a little history on the topic: capital punishment is the legal authorization of killing someone as a punishment for a crime.  The death penalty in the United States began in 1976 and as of April 1^st, 2008 was authorized by 37 states.  Between the years 1977 – 2009 1,417 people were executed in the US. Most capital punishment cases involve the execution of murders although the qualifications of the death penalty include treason, espionage, and other crimes. There are many methods of execution since 1976 including hanging; firing squad, gas chamber, electrocution, and most commonly used lethal injection. Race and execution varies with white males ranking with 56%, blacks 34%, Hispanics 8% and other at 2%. Executions are on the decline; there were 35 executions in 2014, which is the lowest number of executions since the year 1994. The top 5 states with the most executions since 1976 include Texas with 529, Oklahoma with 112, Virginia with 111, Florida with 90 and Missouri with 86.

        The concept of capital punishment touches upon social, political and economical viewpoints being that it is a very controversial topic. Social issues may include if a person’s race affect the likelihood of him/her receiving the death penalty, or should victim’s opinions matter when considering the death penalty. Political issues may include whether or not the death penalty should be banned all together or should it strictly be reliant on the state. Economic issues may include the fact that capital punishment is more expensive then sending a person to jail for a lifetime. In the case scenario I am pro capital punishment.