The death penalty is one of the oldest forms of punishment for a crime committed by a person. This is the most severe punishment, which not only takes the life of the person who committed the most serious crime, but also causes incredible suffering for his family and friends.
To date, most countries have refused such a measure of punishment. International law prohibits the use of the death penalty. This is due to the fact that the absolute right to life is recognized as the main principle of respect for human rights and freedoms .
Despite everything, the death penalty in the United States is still used. In addition, America is among the five leading countries in the world in which the largest number of death sentences are carried out annually. Iraq, Iran, China and Saudi Arabia are also on this list.
Today, the death penalty in the United States is legalized at the highest federal level and is applied in the criminal law of 34 states. American law provides for seventy categories of crimes for which this measure of punishment is applied.
Despite the fact that the death penalty in the United States is enshrined in the federal legislation of the country, its application is regulated in the criminal laws of each state separately. In some states it is not provided for by law at all, in others it exists, but is not used in practice, in third it is actively used. In some states, prisoners are given the freedom to choose: when and what kind of death penalty. In the United States, different states apply a variety of methods of this type of punishment. Some originate from ancient times, others are more modern. But they are all terrible in their own way.
So, the types of death penalty used in the USA today are as follows:
1. Electric chair
This is a special device, where an electric current is passed through his body to kill the prisoner. Theoretically, this type of death penalty is the most painless, except in cases of equipment malfunction. It was first used in the USA in August 1890 in New York. Throughout the 20th century, it has been used in 25 states. Today it is used only in 6 - Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Nebraska.
2. Gas chamber
The death of the sentenced occurs by the sudden release of poisonous gas into the death row. This is one of the most cruel and inhumane types of death penalty. Indeed, gas does not kill immediately, and a person experiences painful suffering. To date, such a death penalty in the United States is used in four states: Arizona, California, North Carolina and Mississippi. Nowhere else in the world is it used.
3. Fatal injection
It consists in the introduction into the body of a sentenced solution of a toxic substance. It is considered the most humane type of death penalty. However, unreasonably painful. For this reason, lethal injections are banned in several US states: Florida, Ohio, New Jersey and Missouri.
4. The execution
Killing is achieved using firearms. Sentenced, as a rule, put on the wall. Often a choice is given regarding blindfolds. Today, in the United States, execution is used as a backup in only two states - Oklahoma and Idaho.
5. Hanging
This type of death penalty exists in the United States today. But it is practically not applied. Legislation enshrines hanging in only two states: Washington and New Hampshire.