Capital Punishment in the United States of America By: Bryan Kolch

Information The "death penalty" is the pre-meditated and planned taking of a human life by a government. Since 1976, 245 death row inmates have been granted a pardon. Humanitarian reasons include doubts about the defendant's guilt or the governor’s decision about the death penalty process. The pardoning process vary by state and involve the governor, or a board of advisors or both.

Types of Death Penalty 5 types of executions Lethal Injection Electrocution Gas Chamber Hanging Firing Squad

Lethal Injection The number of states authorizing lethal injection increased from 27 in 1994 to 37 in 2004. Texas performed the first execution by lethal injection

Electrocution Electric currents pass through your body until the heart stops. There have been may botched executions through electrocution. Many death row inmates have been shocked more than one time.

Gas Chamber The gas chamber was formerly used in Colorado, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Wyoming and California. Today three states execute prisoners using the gas chamber Arizona, Maryland, and Missouri.

Hanging The prisoner dies by strangulation The states of Washington and New Hampshire are the only 2 states that use the method of hanging

Firing Squad Official protocol calls for inclusion of one or more blank cartridges randomly distributed among the live ammunition, giving each squad member a chance of not having killed.

Capital Crimes Spying Treason Killing of another person in the 1st degree Rape of a child under 13 Other serious crimes

Pros Gives closure to the victim's families who have suffered so much. People will refrain from committing crimes out of fear.

Cons We are killing another human being Who are we to decide if someone should die