Death Penality

whole new meaning. Lately, murderers have been getting a punishment equal

to their crime, death. In 1967, executions in the United States were

temporarily suspended to give the federal appellate courts time to decide

whether or not the death penalty was unconstitutional. Then, in 1972, the

United States Supreme Court ruled in the case of "Furman versus Georgia"

that the death penalty violated the Eight Amendments. According to the

Eighth Amendment, "Excessive bail shall not be required, no excessive

fines imposed, nor cruel or unusual punishments inflicted." After the

Supreme Court made this ruling, states reviewed their death penalty laws.

In 1976, in the case of "Gregg versus Georgia" the Supreme Court ruled

state death penalty laws were not unconstitutional. Presently in the

United States the death penalty can only be used as punishment for

intentional killing. Still, the death penalty violates the Eighth

Amendment and should be outlawed in the United States.

Currently in the United States there are five methods used for executing

criminals: the electric chair, gas chamber, lethal injection, hanging, and

inmate John del Vecchio two heart surgeries and then executed him in

that the death penalty experiment has failed. It is virtually

an airtight room. A cyanide pellet is dropped in sulfuric acid, which

three minutes can feel like an eternity.

constitutional deficiencies." -- Justice Harry Blackmun.

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