The word "capital", in "capital punishment", refers to a person's head ("Capital" 98). This is because decapitation was a common form of execution in England, and the rest of the world (Johnson 9). The "Wheel" was yet another common form of execution. This involved binding of the hands and feet of the criminals to a large cart wheel. The wheel was positioned on an incline with the criminal facing out so that onlookers could have a better view. It was important for the audience to have a clear view because public officials believed that witnessing these gruesome executions would inspire fear and keep others from breaking the law (Costanzo 5). Needless to say, the crime rate was very low (Costanzo 6). The fear that something like what they were witnessing could happen to them, made people rethink committing a crime. .
There is no way of knowing how many people have been executed in U.S. history because executions were often local affairs, with no central agency keeping track of them. The first recorded execution in the United States was Captain George Kendall in 1608 for the crime of theft (Costanzo 7). Capital punishment in the thirteen colonies was much more humane than that of England during the same time period the colonies used hanging. Hanging was said to be the most merciful punishment of the day (Costanzo 7). From that time forward, the United States has used various methods of execution such as the firing squad, drowning, burning, squishing, electrocution, lethal gas, and the most common present day method, lethal injection (Johnson 43 - 47). Since its reinstatement, in 1976, the death penalty has been a heated topic of debate within the United States (United States 10 - 11). The United States is among the very few industrialized countries in the world which still executes criminals.
The theory of deterrence is based on the idea that the threat of punishment must be severe enough to counter the benefits or pleasures that the criminal would receive from the commission of the crime.