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Capital Punishment

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Nikita Federoff Essay #1
Joseph-Anthony Roberto
January 26, 2012
Criminology-BHS 142

Capital Punishment

I believe Capital Punishment to be one of the most important environmental forces currently impacting the United States Criminal Justice System in a negative way. Capital Punishment is defined as the lawful infliction of death as a punishment, Commonly known as the Death Penalty.
The first known infliction of the death penalty occurred in the American colonies the year of 1608, The victim being Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown Colony. Throughout history the death penalty has been known to be carried out by one of five lawful means; Hanging, Gas Chambers, Firing Squad, Lethal Injection, and Electrocution. In the eighteenth century 162 documented executions took place, Followed by 1,391 executions in the nineteenth century. Towards the end of the Revolutionary War, 11 Colonies wrote new constitutions allowing Capital Punishment. Ironically, nine out of those eleven colonies did not allow “Cruel and Unusual Punishment.”
The Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from inflicting "cruel and unusual punishments." The uncertainty of the phrase "cruel and unusual." cause controversy's over the constitutionality of the death penalty. Some argue that the phrase "cruel and unusual" refers to the type of punishment inflicted, others feel that the phrase refers to the degree and duration of the punishment. The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected both interpretations, leaving the death penalty a legal means of punishing certain criminals.

The cost of the death penalty alone is a major quandary. The actual execution process itself is rather quick and simple, although there is a mandatory review for all sentences of death by the supreme court, at an additional cost of $70,000. Even worse, it doesn't stop there. If a case advances

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