Putting Capital Punishment To Death
...methods of the death penalty. Capital punishment has been used in America for a long time,
and has always presented conflicts. There are many groups that protest capital punishment, and there
are many groups that are for it. The controversies it presents have to do with the cost, if it is humane,
or if it is moral. With all of these problems taken into consideration, it is clear to anyone that capital
punishment is the wrong choice.
The early forms of the death penalty were not only much less humane than they are now, but
much more cruel and unusual. Hanging, one of the earliest forms, is actually still used in 3 states as
one form of capital punishment. The inmate would not get blindfolded, unlike most methods, then
they would stand on a stool or box. A noose would then be wrapped, and tightened, around their
neck. The box or stool is then kicked out from under the inmate, and onlookers watch in anticipation
while the inmate suffocates to death. In some cases, the inmate's neck would break, instantly killing
him. (Baird 22)
Other early forms of capital punishment were the guillotine and the firing squad. Both of
these methods used blindfolds. For the guillotine, the inmate would lay down on their back under
a huge blade hanging above their neck. The executioner would then cut a rope, releasing the blade
that then slices through the inmate's neck, decapitating him. For the firing squad, and inmate would
be led to a chair in front of a brick wall. A trained firing squad then lines up in front of the inmate.
The firing squad then fires their guns at a target on the inmate's chest. To relieve the guilt of the
squad, some of their guns were loaded with blanks, so no one could know if they were the ones who
killed the man. The guillotine is not used anymore, but the firing squad is still used in a few states.
Anyone can...
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