death

            The death penalty has existed as long as humans have .
             The quote "an eye for an eye" is found in the Bible. In the .
             middle ages fines, public humiliation and imprisonment were .
             appropriate punishments for all crimes, and death penalty for all .
             murders. Today, Federal law states that the death penalty is to be .
             enforced with convicted criminals for: treason; deserting armed .
             forces during wartime; murder committed by a soldier; kidnapping and .
             murder that involves crossing state lines; murder committed during an .
             airplane hijacking; and of course, homicide. The death penalty is .
             also called for punishment of for: attempting to kill anyone .
             investigating or prosecuting his or her activities; advising, .
             directing, authorizing or assisting in the murder of someone. Also, .
             The Anti-Drug abuse act of 1988 calls for the death penalty for all .
             drug related killings. Along with that, The bill amending sec. 848 .
             to controlled substances act calls for the death penalty or life .
             imprisonment for certain drug offences possession of 10 or more kg of .
             heroin, cocaine, phencyclidine or analogue. Added to that, The drug .
             kingpin act sates the use of death penalty for convicted major drug .
             dealers caught with huge quantities of drugs, over 66 lbs. of heroin .
             and 330 lbs. of cocaine. Even though there are these federal laws .
             requiring the use of the death penalty for the crimes, State laws only .
             consider one crime, murder, to be a capital offense. .
             In the United States alone there have been 4047 executions .
             since 1930, and 188 were from 1977-1996. In 1996, there were a total .
             of 15,168,100 arrests; 33,050 for forcible rape; 1,506,200 involving .
             drug violations and 19,020 for murder and non-negligent manslaughter. .
             The death penalty was enforced 45 times. The death penalty is an .
             expensive punishment, since 1976 the united states have spent 700 .
             million dollars in it. Methods of the death penalty include lethal .
             injection, gas chamber, electric chair, hanging and fire squad.