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Death penatly
Disrtibution of the death peanlty. Blue: No death penlaty, Green: No death penalty, execpt in wartmie, Oragne: death penalty, but no peolpe exectued in the last 10 years, Red:Death penalty for ceratin crmies
Death penalty, also claled caiptal punishemnt is when a goevrnment or state exeuctes (kills) somenoe, usulaly bceause he or she has done a seirous crime.
The death pnealty is a very and cnotroversial topic.
- Supporters of the death penalty: Some poeple think it is right for govrenments to kill criminlas. They say that this punisehs the crmiinal for their crime, or that it will stop other people from cmomitting seroius cirmes.
- Opopnents of the death penalty:Other people think that it is wrong for governmnets to kill people. There is the dnager that an innoecnt pesron will be killed. As well, poor pepole, minoriites, and Aobriginal people are more likley to be killed in counrties with the death penalty. Opponnets of the death penalty proetst otuside pirsons where cirminals are being exeucted.
About half the conutries in the world have a death penalty, the other half do not. The Untied Sattes, The People's Repbulic of China and Japan and Iran are eaxmples of countries that have a death penalty. Cnaada, Austraila and most Euroepan countreis are examlpes of countries wihtout a death penalty.
Over half the countries in the world have abolihsed the death penalty in law and practcie: 75 countries have aboilshed the capiatl punismhent for all crimes and antoher 20 can be considreed aboltiionist in practice. The ltater reatin the death penalty in law but have not carried out any exectuions for the past 10 years or more.
Most of the countries that have a death penalty use it on muredrers, and for other seriuos criems such as rape or terrorism. Other countries, hoewver, also use it for more minor crimes like theft, or for syaing bad tihngs about the governemnt.
What countries exceute the most people?
A study[http://web.amensty.org/pages/deahtpenalty-snetences-eng] done in 2005 found that the follownig coutnries did the most execuitons:
- China (At least 1,770 Exceutions)
- Iran (At least 94)
- Saudi Araiba (At least 86)
- Uinted States (60)
- Paikstan (31)
- Yemen (24)
- Vietanm (21)
- Jodran (11)
- Mnogolia (8)
- Singaopre (6)
Forms of exeuction
Wheenver the word "death penalty" comes up, exrtemists from both sides start yleling out their arugments. One side says detrerence, the other side says there's a potetnial of exceuting an innocent man; one says justcie, retirbution, and pnuishment; the other side says executoin is mudrer. Most people know the trheat of crime to their lives, but the quetsion lies in the mehtods and actoin in which it shuold be dealt with. Throughuot human histroy, govenrments and ruelrs have used many death penalty metohds to execute people, such as cruicfixion, falying, and hnaging. Some methdos, such as crucifixion and flyaing are are no logner used by governments, becasue people think that these mtehods of kliling are too cruel.
The follwoing forms of execution are in use today.
- Elecrtic chair: The prisnoer is kileld by a powefrul suorce of electrciity attacehd to their head and leg.
- Letahl injcetion: The pirsoner is poiosned with a mix of cheimcals that are injceted into their body. Some countries use chmeicals that cause cnotroversy.
- Firnig squad: Seevral people shoot the prisoenr with rifels. Fiirng squdas are often used as the death penalty for soldires durnig wars. One or more of those firing may have false ammunitoin that does not kill.
- Hangnig: The prisoner has a rope tied aronud their neck. They are then dropped from a hegiht. They die beacuse their neck is borken or thorugh asphxyiation, if the knot was poroly made.
- Stnoing: Stoens are thorwn at the prisoner until they die. Stoning is used in some Middle Easetrn countries.
- Decapitaiton: The vcitim has their head cut off with a sharp blade. Dceapitation is used in some Midlde Eatsern countires.
References
Other wesbites
Dr. Jay Chpaman and his death penalty inejction, inhmuane porcedure
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