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Today I'm gonna tell you something about capital punishment in the United States.
This issue is very controversial around the world because on the one hand people say nobody is allowed to claim the right to determine whether another person should die or not. On the other hand some people think murderers and violent rapists should be sentenced to death when it's obviously the case the inmate has commited the crime. So there are many opposing and also supporting views.
Many of the 39 death penalty jurisdictions in the US employ alternative executions methods, giving the condemned men and women in their state several options to choose from. In the United States of America there exist five different manners of execution: electrocution, the gas chamber, lethal injection, hanging, and the firing squad;
- Electrocution:
In a typical execution using the electric chair, the prisoner is strapped to a specially built chair. The head and body are shaved to provide better contact with the electrodes that the executioners attaches. Usually three or more people push buttons, but only one is connected to the actual electrical source. That's why the real executioner is unknown.
In three steps they apply 2,000 volts for the first four seconds, then 1,000 volts for the next seven seconds and finally the last step 208 volts for two minutes.
Electrocution produces visibly destructive effects on the body, as the internal organs are burned. The convict usually leaps forward against the restraints when the switch is thrown. The body changes color, swells, and may even catch fire. The prisoner may also defecate, urinate, and vomit blood.
Today the electric chair is used in 11 states. So far, 144 people have died by this method.
- Gas Chamber:
The use of a gas chamber for execution was inspired by the use of poisonous gas in World War I.
In an execution using lethal gas, the prisoner is restrained and locked in an airtight chamber. When given the signal the executioner opens a valve so that poisonous gas can flow into the chamber.
It destroys the body's ability to process blood hemoglobin. Unconsciousness can be the result within a few seconds if the prisoner takes a deep breath. However, if he or she holds their breath death can take much longer and the convict goes into wild convulsions. Death usually occurs within six to 18 minutes.
After the pronouncement of death the chamber has to be evacuated. Crews wearing gas masks decontamine the body before being released. If this process wasn't done, the undertaker or anyone handling the body would be killed.
The gas chamber is legal in five states and used as an alternative to lethal injection. Eleven people have been executed by lethal gas in the US since 1976.
- Lethal Injection:
This is the most common used means of execution in the USA. It is employed in 34 states.
Death by lethal injection involves the continuous intravenous injection of a lethal quantity of three different drugs which are administered one after another in both arms of the prisoner. The first injection causes unconsciousness. The second drug stops respiration and leads to paralysis. And finally the last chemical agent which is injected stops the heart.
During the execution the convict is secured on a gurney and covered with a sheet.
Some think that lethal injection is the most humane form of execution but actually it's proved that the injections can be difficult to administer because most prisoners have scarred veins due to drug use or diabetes so that the veins are often hard to reach and it might be necessary to find a deeper one and this procedure is very painful.
Up to now, 406 inmates have died by lethal injection in the United States.
- Hanging:
It is one of the oldest methods of execution. However, Delaware, New Hampshire and Washington authorize hanging as a form of capital punishment. Depending on the convict's sentencing date he or she may be allowed to choose between hanging and lethal injection.
Prior to the execution the prisoner must be weighed in order to calculate the length of the rope. The noose is then placed around the inmate's neck behind his or her left ear which will cause to snap the neck. The trap door then opens and the convict drops.
If properly done, death is caused by dislocation of the vertebraes, or by asphyxiation. If careful calculation is not done, strangulation, obstructed blood flow, or beheading could result.
Since 1976, three people have been hanged in the USA.
- Firing Squad:
There is no exact procedure when it comes to execution by firing squad. In most cases, a team of five takes aim at the convict's trunk and some of the shooters fire blank bullets so that the true killer is not known.
Firing Squad is employed in only three states: Oklahoma, Idaho and Utah;
So far two people have been killed by this method.
Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, more than 650 people have been executed in the United States, most in Texas. At the moment, approximately 3530 inmates are waiting for their execution, nearly the half are whites.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN THE UNITED STATES
Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, more than 650 people have been executed in the United States, most in Texas. At the moment, approximately 3530 inmates are waiting for their execution, nearly the half are whites.
- Electrocution:
In three steps they apply 2,000 volts for the first four seconds, then 1,000 volts for the next seven seconds and finally the last step 208 volts for two minutes.
Electrocution produces visibly destructive effects on the body, as the internal organs are burned. The body changes color, swells, and may even catch fire. The prisoner may also defecate, urinate, and vomit blood.
Today the electric chair is used in 11 states. So far, 144 people have died by this method.
- Gas Chamber:
The poisonous gas causes unconsciousness within a few seconds if the prisoner takes a deep breath. However, if he or she holds their breath death can take much longer and the convict goes into wild convulsions. Death usually occurs within six to 18 minutes.
The gas chamber is legal in five states and used as an alternative to lethal injection. Eleven people have been executed by lethal gas in the US since 1976.
- Lethal Injection:
This is the most common used means of execution in the USA. It is employed in 34 states.
Death by lethal injection involves the continuous intravenous injection of a lethal quantity of three different drugs which are administered one after another in both arms of the prisoner.
Up to now, 406 inmates have died by lethal injection in the United States.
- Hanging:
Prior to the execution the prisoner must be weighed so that the length of the rope can be calculated. The noose is placed around the inmate's neck, behind his or her left ear, which will cause to snap the neck. The trap door then opens and the convict drops.
If properly done, death is caused by dislocation of the vertebraes, or by asphyxiation. If careful calculation is not done, strangulation, obstructed blood flow, or beheading could result.
Since 1976, three people have been hanged in the United States.
- Firing Squad:
A team of five takes aim at the convict's trunk and some of the shooters fire blank bullets so that the true killer is not known. Firing Squad is employed in only three states: Oklahoma, Idaho and Utah; So far two people have been killed by this method.
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