Death penalty
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Death penalty, also called capital punishment is when a government or state executes (kills) someone, usually because he or she has done a serious crime.
The death penalty is a very disputed and controversial topic. *Supporters of the death penalty: Some people think it is right for governments to kill criminals. They say that this punishes the criminal for their crime, or that it will stop other people from committing serious crimes.
- Opponents of the death penalty:Other people think that it is wrong for governments to kill people. There is the danger that an innocent person will be killed. As well, poor people, minorities, and Aboriginal people are more likely to be killed in countries with the death penalty. Opponents of the death penalty protest outside prisons where criminals are being executed.
About half the countries in the world have a death penalty, the other half do not. The United States, The People's Republic of China and Japan and Iran are examples of countries that have a death penalty. Canada, Australia and most European countries are examples of countries without a death penalty.
Most of the countries that have a death penalty use it on murderers, and for other serious crimes such as rape or terrorism. Other countries, however, also use it for more minor crimes like theft, or for saying bad things about the government.
[edit] Forms of execution
Throughout human history, governments and rulers have used many death penalty methods to execute people, such as crucifiction, flaying, and hanging. Some methods, such as crucifiction and flaying are are no longer used by governments, because people think that these methods of killing are too cruel.
The following forms of execution are in use today.
- Electric chair: The prisoner is killed by a powerful source of electricity attached to their head and leg.
- Lethal injection: The prisoner is poisoned with a chemical that is injected into their body.
- Firing squad: Several people shoot the prisoner with rifles. Firing squads are often used as the death penalty for soldiers during wars.
- Hanging: The prisoner has a rope tied around their neck and then they are dropped from a height. They die because their neck is broken or through asphyxiation.
- Stoning: Stones are thrown at the prisoner until they die. Stoning is used in some Middle Eastern countries.
- Decapitation: The victim has their head cut off with a sharp blade. Decapitation is used in some Middle Eastern countries.