The Deadly Truth Of Capital Punishment

The Deadly Truth of Capital Punishment Capital punishment has been a method for punishment in the justice system dating back to 1608. It was a new practice brought over by the Europeans when they settled the New World. It was used to punish those who opposed the religious practices of the settlers. Today, capital punishment consists five methods; lethal injection, lethal gas, hanging, firing squad, and electrocution. Today it is used to punish those who have committed a crime, or an offense against society. Capital punishment would be considered justified because those who commit a crime should make up the grief and harm they caused, the Constitution allows for the legal implementation of the death penalty, and advances in technology and

In the instance of the death penalty, there has been many cases claiming that it is a violation of the eighth amendment, which claims “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” For example there has been many court cases of those on death row against the state claiming it was an unfair punishment. There has also been many cases claiming that the way to go about the death penalty is unconstitutional. However the 1879 case of WIlkerson v. Utah claims that the firing squad is constitutional and similarly, the case of William Kemmler, the first person put to death, claimed that the form of electrocution is constitutional, There are also many cases that ruled that there are some aspects of capital punishment that can also be constitutional, like age. In the famous case of Stanford v. Kentucky it was ruled that crimes committed under the age of eighteen can warrant the death penalty. The US constitution is used as a guideline to help support the constitutionality of the death

The practice of capital punishment is legal in the state of South Carolina. Although there are not many people that are executed in South Carolina, there is still some famous cases. First, is the case of Donald Henry Gaskins, or also known as “Pee-Wee”. Gaskins was born in Florence, SC, and was ultimately put to death in Columbia, SC. Gaskins was found in North Charleston connected to a series of murders, including seven women, a businessman, and an eighteen month child. He was charged on nine counts of murder. However, Gaskins himself claimed that he had killed more than one hundred. Carroll A. Campbell Jr. was governor at the time of Gaskins’s execution. More converisial, is the case of James Terry Roach. This case has picked up more recognition because of the logistics. He plead guilty at the age of seventeen for the murder of two Columbia teenagers. Because at the time, it was legal to warrant the death penalty to someone under the age of eighteen, Roach was held responsible for the crimes and executed at the age of twenty-five. Richard Riley was governor at the time. James Earl Reed was forty-nine years old when he was executed. He was on death row for the 1994 murders of married couple Joseph and Barbara Ann Lafayette in their home. He was executed in 2008, while MArk Sanford was governor at the