Capital Punishment

A definition of capital punishment

Capital punishment is when a sentence of death is given for a crime committed.

Capital Punishment Has Several Aims.

Deterrence

ProtectionVindication

Reparation

Retribution

Until 1828 death by hanging was the penalty for over 200 crimes in Britain. These crimes included shooting a rabbit, cutting down a tree and stealing. However in 1969 the death penalty was abolished in this country because of miscarriages of justice.

The History of Capital Punishment in the UK

In other countries the death penalty is widely used.

Statistics from the USA show that rather than the death penalty becoming less popular, the number of death sentences actually carried out has risen dramatically.

In 1971 , one person was put to death. In 1997 seventy-four were killed. In 1999 six hundred and ten received the death sentence!

Capital Punishment in The USA

The Death Sentence Is Carried Out in a Number of Ways.

In pairs, think about some of the methods of capital punishment that have been used in the past.

Crucifixion

Guillotine

Hanging

Hung, drawn and quartered

Ducking

Which Methods Of Execution Are Used In The USA Today?

Electric Chair

Lethal Injection

Hanging

Firing Squad

Poisonous Gas

See If You Can Remember What The Different Methods Are.

The Electric Chair The prisoner is strapped to the chair with leather straps. A wet sponge is placed on their head to conduct electricity and a cover is placed over their face.

Thousands of volts of electricity are passed through the person. It takes 10 minutes for the body to cool down enough to be touched.

A prisoner about to be electrocuted.

The Gas Chamber

The prisoner is placed in a sealed chamber.

Chemicals are mixed to produce a poisonous gas.

It may take the prisoner several painful minutes to die.

Lethal Injection

The picture shows the bed the prisoner is strapped to.

A lethal dose of a drug is administered until the prisoner’s heart stops.

Arguments For Capital Punishment Society must Society must

protectprotect innocent innocent people.people.

JusticeJustice must be must be seen to be done.seen to be done.

““Life” prisoners Life” prisoners are often released are often released early and may re-early and may re-offend.offend.

The death penalty The death penalty is the only is the only deterrentdeterrent some some people people understand.understand.

Some criminals Some criminals might prefer might prefer execution to a life execution to a life in prison.in prison.

Arguments Against the Use of Capital Punishment. People may be People may be

wrongly wrongly accused and accused and executed.executed.

The death penalty The death penalty does not appear to does not appear to work, the USA has a work, the USA has a higher rate of violent higher rate of violent crime than the UK.crime than the UK.

The The costcost of keeping of keeping someone on death row someone on death row is far higher than the is far higher than the cost of keeping them cost of keeping them as a life prisoner.as a life prisoner.

Some criminals Some criminals might be seen as might be seen as martyrsmartyrs..

A civilised state A civilised state should defend life should defend life not kill.not kill.

Minority groupsMinority groups are are far more likely to be far more likely to be given the death given the death sentence in thesentence in the USAUSA..

What do Religious Teachings Say About Capital Punishment?

Take not a life, which Allah hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law. Surah 6:151

Islam

No matter how evilly someone behaves they always have the possibility of correcting their behaviour.James Belither

Buddhism

Jesus taught compassion;

“If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone…….”John 8: 7-11

Christianity

Can you imagine knowing the exact time of your death?

What do you think your last moments would be like?

Do you think that the death penalty is still acceptable today?

Why do you think the method of execution has changed?