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The Death Penalty


            There are many objections and questions about using the death penalty. There are some valid reasons for it as well as some that make the case to abolish it. There are many subjects to talk about that concern the death penalty. Subjects such as the history of it, how it is used in different countries, problems with it, current issues for it, and the differing opinions of people about it. The death penalty can be very controversial for many reasons.
             The death penalty or capital punishment is legal infliction of death for violating criminal law. Throughout history the methods used for this have included crucifixion, stoning, drowning, burning at the stake, impaling, and beheading. The main methods used today are lethal injection, electrocution, hanging, or shooting. Out of the 37 states who use the death penalty Texas has had the most executions of any state with 310 executions.
             Countries throughout the world are split on using capital punishment. Close to 90 countries have abolished the death penalty and about as many still retain it. Most of the countries who use it are developing countries. Most industrialized countries favor sentencing criminals to a long term prison sentence instead of using capital punishment. After World War II is when many Western Europe countries abolished the death penalty. The U.S. is the major exception to this. Only China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia have used the death penalty more than the United States since 1997. The United States having the death penalty has raised many questions from others throughout the years because it is thought to be cruel and that the United States might be behind the times for continuing to use it.
             Current conditions have changed substantially since the pre-1972 era. Some of the changes have been that mentally retarded people and people who do not understand the meaning of their pending execution cannot be executed, minors cannot be executed, juries not judges decide whether a defendant is eligible for the death penalty, and contemporary laws have been made that authorize the death penalty for only those who's crimes that have not resulted in death have not yet been challenged or reviewed by the court.


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