Capital Punishment and Its Methods of Execution - By: michael russell

Capital Punishment or generally known as death sentence is awarded to criminals who have been proven guilty of severe crimes like serial killings, murders, rape etc. Any crime that ultimately results with a death sentence is called a capital offence or capital crime.

The practice of giving capital punishment to the criminals through the judiciaries is highly controversial. The concerns that exist in giving a death sentence are mainly human rights and economic efficiency.

Death penalty, in the form of punishment, has existed in the history since quite a long time. The main difference is that the methods that were used to execute the criminals were really harsh. The methods that were used in the past included drowning, burning and beheading in public; but currently, these have undergone vast change.

The common methods of execution that are used currently are as follows:

• Hanging: In this method of execution, the victim is hung from the gallows, by his neck till death. One of the nations that follow this mode of capital punishment for criminals is India .

• Execution by Electrocution: The convict is made to sit down on a chair through which high voltage electric shock is delivered. This chair is also called as an electric chair. This method is used in the U.S.

• Execution by Firing Squad: This method of execution is mostly used for war traitors or criminals. In this kind of execution, the victim has to stand near a wall. A commander in chief then orders a group of soldiers to fire simultaneously at the convict.

• Execution by Lethal Injection: A dosage of fatal or lethal drugs is injected into the convict. In this method, the death is almost immediate.

Many people who oppose capital punishment believe that, as the judiciary system or the justice system is itself not free of faults, it creates the chances of execution of an innocent person. People who oppose this mode of punishment also believe that if a person is executed for a crime, not only is it atrocious and immoral, it makes us no less different then the criminals.

No matter how divided the people may be in their thoughts regarding Capital punishment, it has existed in the society and supposedly it will continue to exist in the near future too.

About the Author

Capital punishment has existed since long, throughout the vast history of mankind. For getting more info on the laws regarding capital punishment in different nations, viewers can visit a free search engine, jrank.org.

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