Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment is the legal infliction of the


death penalty.   In the United States capital


punishment is legal in thirty-nine of the fifty


states.   Beginning in 1973, prison populations began


an inevitable growth.   There were 204,211 inmates in


1973, and by 1977 the number of prisoners had grown to


285,456, which later grew to 315,974 in 1980.   By


1976, it was clear that the death penalty had to be


reinstated.   America’s twenty-one year experiment with


capital punishment has resulted in a total of 392


executions, seventy eight of which took place in 1996


alone.   Of these only thirty-four were federal cases,


out of which thirty two were male and only two were


female.  






        Every year about 15,000 killers are charged and only


about 300 wind up on death row.   The death row


population is constantly increasing.   It is now more


than 3,000.   Because of constant appeals, it takes a


person on death row typically between five to eight


years to finally get executed.   To kill all the


prisoners on death row, it is estimated that it would


take two executions a day for seven years.






        Crimes such as aiding in suicide, causing a boat


collision resulting in death, forced marriage,


procuring an abortion resulting in the death of the


mother, espionage, castrating another, rape, homicide,


child molesting resulting in death and conspiracy to


kidnap for ransom among many others are, in some


states, crimes that are punishable by death.   What the


law permits, however, is not always used by the courts


or the executive authorities.   Most executions are a


result of a murder or rape, and a small number for


robbery, kidnapping, burglary, aggravated assault and


espionage.






        In the US,...