Evan Irons

Mrs. Rutan
English IV
19 April 2016

Six Things You Should Know About Capital Punishment

Six of the most important things you should know about capital punishment. The inmate must be
convicted by the courts and are then sentenced to be on Death Row. If an inmate is on death row, it means
they are waiting to be sentenced to death. However, there are some inmates who have been sentenced to
death and are then exonerated for various reasons. Twelve people have already been executed in the

United States in 2016 ("Execution List).

1. What is the Death Penalty?
When society hears about someone in the United States that has been placed on death row or has been
sentenced to the death penalty, we commonly think, What is the death penalty? Death penalty, also
called capital punishment, is when a government or state executes (kills) someone, usually, but not

always, because they have committed a serious crime. A crime that can be punished with the death
penalty is called a capital crime or a capital offense (Death Penalty). The death penalty is when
someone is being sentenced to death for committing a specific or major crime. Every year, there are courtsentenced executions in the United States. There are many reasons why someone could be sentenced upon
the death penalty or placed on death row.
2. Reasons for Being Sentenced to the Death Penalty
There are many reasons someone can be sentenced to death. Many people who have been sentenced to
seek the Death Penalty never broke just one major law; they have several offenses. Many of them have
committed: murder, treason, rape, hijacking, grand theft auto, drug trafficking, sexual battery, or assault;
many of them also have misdemeanor charges from when they were teens. The death penalty can also be
sought in case of a murder committed in the course of rape, kidnapping, drug crimes, or burglary; killing
of a police officer, judge or prosecutor; murder for hire; murder by an inmate while serving a sentence of
life without parole (Crimes Punishable). Many inmates who are awaiting execution will commit more
crimes in prison. Many will be charged for imprisonment battery, imprisonment rape or imprisonment
murder and assault. Studies have shown that this could possibly be from their bodies and thinking
processes shutting down, and the inmate giving up on life and not caring if they get in more trouble. They
are already going to be executed, so the inmates view it as they cannot get into any more trouble than
what they already have.
3. What States still have the death penalty and why?
Currently, there are 31 states with the death penalty and 19 states without the death penalty. Wisconsin
was the first state to abolish the death penalty in 1853, and Nebraska is the most recent to abolish the
death penalty in 2015. In 2015, 28 inmates were executed using lethal injection: 11 were white, 10 were
black, and 7 were Latino. Texas leads the country with 755 executions before 1976, 537 executions after
1976, and 263 inmates are currently on death row. Texas has had 13 innocent inmates freed from death

row. Michigan abolished the death penalty in 1846 and performed 13 executions before 1976; no innocent
inmates have been freed from death row (States With and Without the Death Penalty).

4. The Cost of the Death Penalty

Every state has a different cost for the death penalty. Most of the money comes from taxpayers. Michigan
does not use the death penalty. This may be why other states who use the death penalty have higher taxes
than Michigan. Housing and caring for inmates without the death penalty costs $740,000 per inmate;
while cases where the death penalty is sought costs $1.26 million per inmate. Maintaining each death row
prisoner costs taxpayers $90,000 more per year than a prisoner in general population (Death Info). The
cost is not cheap when it comes to being sentenced to the death penalty. Therefore, $90,000 more is
coming out of taxpayers pockets in certain states, and all of their money is mainly going spent on an
inmate being executed and forgotten about.
5. Types of Death Penalties

In the United States, there are three ways that an inmate can be put to death after being sentenced. The
most used form of capital punishment is lethal injection. Lethal injection gained popularity in the late
twentieth century as a form of execution intended to replace other methods, notably electrocution,
hanging, firing squad, gas chamber, and beheading, which were considered to be more painful (Death
Info). Many inmates said, they would rather prefer the lethal injection because it is not graphic or
messy. Another type is by a firing squad. States no longer use the firing squad because it is a very
graphic way to execute someone. Also, it is very hard to find workers who are willing to fire the guns. It
could be stressful for someone who is shooting people for a living. The third and final type of punishment
is from hanging. Hanging was a death penalty used back in the ol days, such as around the time of
Pilgrims and Salem Witch Trials. States have used this method before and from time to time, but this is

one of the least used forms of death penalty.

6.

Capital Punishment outside of the United States

Of the 196 countries in the world, 102 have abolished the death penalty. In 2015, there were 1,634
executions and 89% were conducted in three countries: Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia (Death

Penalty). However, China is not included in these figures, and it is believed they have executed over
2,400 people, but the numbers are not confirmed. If the number is accurate, they are executing over ten
times as many as any other country. On the other hand, China has the largest population, so when
comparing executions by country, population should be considered (Death Penalty: US vs. The World).
Countries are not consistent with reasons to punish with the death penalty. There are a variety of reasons
ranging from sleeping with the wrong partner to acts of murder or terrorism. Also, countries use different
forms of execution, such as, hanging, lethal injection, electrocution, beheading or shooting--either in the
back of the head or by firing squad. The only constant seems to be that inmates spend years on death row
awaiting their execution (Death Penalty).

Works Cited:
Alvarez, Lizette. Florida Revamps Death Penalty, Making It Harder to Sentence Someone
to Die. The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 Mar. 2016. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/04/us/florida-revamps-death-penalty-making-itharder-to-sentence-someone-to-die.html?_r+0>
"Crimes Punishable by the Death Penalty." Crimes Punishable by the Death Penalty.
Web. 05 May 2016.
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/crimes-punishable-death-penalty

Death Penalty. Death Penalty. Amnesty International, 2016. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.
<https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/death-penalty/>.
"Death Penalty." - Simple English Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_penalty

"Death Penalty: US vs. The World." Outside the Beltway. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/death-penalty-us-vs-the-world/
"Execution List 2016." DPIC. Web. 20 Apr. 2016
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/execution-list-2016
States With and Without the Death Penalty. States With and Without the Death Penalty.
Death Penalty Information Center, 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2016. <http://www.death
penaltyinfo.org/states-with-and-without-death-penalty>.
VonDrehle, David. Heres Why The Death Penalty Is Doomed in America. Time. Time, 8
June, 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2016. <http://time.com/deathpenalty/>.

Whats New. DPIC. Death Penalty Information Center, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/>.
Woodruff, Daniel. Death Penalty, Medical Marijuana Fizzle as 2016 Legislative Session
Ends. KUTV. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., 11 Mar. 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
<http://kutv.com/news/local/death-penalty-medical-marijuana-fizzle-as-2016legislative-session-ends>.