Pro Death Penalty Essay

Of the 50 states, there are 32 states that the Death Penalty, also known as Capital Punishment, is legal in. People commit crimes everyday, some more serious than others. Those who commit more serious crimes, aren't so lucky, they either spend a great amount of their life in jail, all of their life in jail, or they get executed, depending on the crime. These crimes range from different types of murder, to treason. These types of crimes are called capital offenses, these offenses are punishable by death. Since 1976, 1,402 people have been executed due to the Death Penalty, 1,227 inmates on Death Row have been killed by lethal injection, 158 inmates killed by the electric chair, and 11 by gas chambers. Lethal injection is a type of

In 1888, New York built the first electric chair, and executed the first man in 1890. The first man executed was William Kemmler, who committed murder. Today, electrocution is not the main method of execution in any of the 32 states the death penalty is legal in. It was the main method in Nebraska until the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional in 2008. In preparation to the execution, the inmate must have his head and part of his leg shaved, so that his hair would not catch on fire. The inmate is strapped into a chair with belts across his chest and around his legs, arms, and groin. A skull cap made of metal is placed on the inmates head with a sponge soaked in a saline. An additional crime is added to a part of the inmates leg to reduce resistance to the electricity. Then the inmate is blindfolded. After the inmate is prepared and the execution members have left the room, at the wardens signal, the executioner pulls a lever that is connected to a power supply. A jolt of between 500 and 2,000 volts is injected into the inmate and lasts for about 30 seconds. As the electricity moves through the body, the inmates hands grip to the chair and there may be some violent movement which could result in dislocations or fractures to the inmate. The electricity moves through the body and then is turned off, when it is turned off, the body relaxes.