Capital Punishment

History of Capital Punishment in the United States

Early History
European (especially English) settlers influenced the nations use of the death penalty First recorded execution: Captain George Kendall Jamestown, Virginia, 1608 via firing squad First woman executed: Jane Champion, 1632 Crimes punishable by death: rape, stealing horses, witchcraft, sodomy/buggery/bestiality, theft, arson, counterfeiting, forgery.

Methods of execution in earlier times

Burning

Hanging

Crushing

Breaking on Wheel

Bludgeoning

Stoning

Electric Chair

19th Century
1846: Michigan abolishes death penalty for all crimes except treason Most states retained death penalty rights Some states expanded crimes punishable by death (especially crimes committed by slaves) Introduction of discretionary death penalty statues

In relation to Kill a Mockingbird

Later on the novel you will discover that a black man is wrongly accused of raping a white woman and he is threatened with the death penalty via electric chair

Reasons for Capital Punishment in 21st Century

Weapons of mass destruction Spying Terrorism Treason on a federal level Aggravated rape in Louisiana, Florida& Oklahoma Extortionate kidnapping in Oklahoma Aggravated Kidnapping in Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky and South Carolina

Aircraft hijacking in Alabama Drug trafficking resulting in death- Florida Train wrecking resulting in death- California Perjury resulting in death- California

Uniform Code of Military Justice

Capital punishment is enforced in certain offences during war time: Desertion Mutiny Spying Misconduct before the enemy

States that have fully abolished the death penalty

Alaska Hawaii Illinois Iowa Maine Michigan Minnesota

New Jersey North Dakota Rhode Island Vermont West Virginia Wisconsin

States that have abolished the death penalty in practice

New York Massachusetts

Options for Execution

Murderers who are executed are given an option of how theyd like to be executed (options vary by state), a luxury that wasnt afforded by their victims CHOICES MAY INCLUDE:
Lethal injection (81% since 1976) Electrocution (16%)-9 states Lethal Gas (1.1%)-Only available in Arizona, California, Missouri & Wyoming Hanging (0.3%)-Only available in Delaware, New Hampshire, & Washington Firing Squad (0.2%)-Only available in Idaho & Oklahoma

Gender statistics
As of October 2010: Men account for 98.3% of the persons currently on death row while women account for 1.7% Men account for 99% of the persons executed in recent years while women account for 1%

Exonerations from death row and innocent executed

142 prisoners have been exonerated from the death row There are hundreds of death row inmates that are proven innocent by DNA tests in recent years