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Capital Punishment : Private or Public

In: Social Issues

Submitted By Bkrbb11
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Betty Waltermire
Critical Issues in Criminal Justice JUS-250
April 3, 2014

Capital Punishment: Private or Public
The earliest settlers in the colonies always had public open trials and executions. The public executions did have some offensive aspects in addition to sometimes rowdy, drunken men in the crowds. In 1608, Captain George Kendall of the Jamestown Colony was executed by firing squad for a crime of mutiny, thus becoming America’s first official execution (death penalty).
During a 32 year span of time there were 1,188 persons executed during the period between 1 January 1977 and 31 December 2009. There were 1,016- lethal injection; 156 electrocutions, 11- gas chamber, 3- hanging and 2- firing squad (death penalty). There are currently only 32 states that allow the death penalty and 18 states that do not have a provision for the death penalty.
Currently in most states there are very few that are allowed in to view an execution; a few members of the family, witnesses, few member of victim’s family, prosecutor, defense attorneys and a few members of the press. For anyone else an announcement will be made by the warden, a person with the public information office or the news will come out in the morning paper or newscast on television. The details of the last hours of the executed inmate’s life will be written for all to see; his last meal, who he talked to and what he did with his last day.

Democracy demands accountability and transparency, as long as executions are kept behind locked and closed doors this is impossible. Cameras are allowed in to record legislative sessions, presidential debates and courtrooms are allowing more access to trials. Little would change in the death chamber; there would be no faces except for the one being executed and his/her last words to the

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