Death Penalty in the US Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Death Penalty in the US - Term Paper Example In the year 2004, the New York Supreme Court also ruled that the prevailing methods of death penalty were in conflict with the Constitution of the New York. The death penalty in New York was effectively eliminated since the legislature did not attempt to alter the procedures of death penalty. Significance of Death Penalty The theoretical significance of implementing the laws of death penalty comprises three fundamental themes, namely incapacitation, retribution, and deterrence. Incapacitation is the containment of the criminals that keeps them from causing harm to the public as they are in the correctional monitoring. Execution of the criminals in the death penalty is the proper way to ensure incapacitation. Deterrence comprises the direct as well as the indirect advantages of executing the criminals. Retribution includes the philosophical and theoretical tenets of the reason and the way of execution (Grimes, 2010, p. 181). Retribution is a complicated punishment psychology (Bohm, 19 92) and asserts that criminals must be punished for their crime and the severity of punishment must accord with the gravity of the crime committed. It means the payback or requital for the criminal’s action. â€Å"The death penalty has been and continues to be defended on the grounds in which society has the ethical responsibility to protect the welfare and security of its citizens from the heinous crimes which justify such a sentence† (Weatherby et al., 2012). ... Some of these methods are described below: Electrocution New York built the electric chair for the first time in the year 1888 in an attempt to use a more human method of death penalty as compared to hanging (Death Penalty Information Center, 2012). Today, many states in the US use electrocution to give the death penalty to the criminals. To cause the criminal’s death through electrocution, the criminal is shaved and tied to a chair with the help of belts all across the body including the chest, arms, and legs. An electrode in the shape of a skull is attached with the forehead and the scalp upon a sponge that is made sprayed with saline. Conductive jelly is used to moisten another electrode that is attached to the leg of the prisoner. After this, the prisoner is blindfolded. â€Å"After the execution team has withdrawn to the observation room, the warden signals the executioner, who pulls a handle to connect the power supply. A jolt of between 500 and 2000 volts, which lasts for about 30 seconds, is given† (Death Penalty Information Center, 2012). After it has been confirmed that the inmate’s heart has stopped beating, the current is turned off. Lethal Injection Lethal injection is used by 36 states of the US today as the method of execution. In this method, the criminal is bound to a gurney. The execution team places a number of heart monitors upon the individual’s skin. They inset two needles into usable veins in the arms of the inmate. One of the needles is a back-up. The needle is connected with long tubes to numerous intravenous drips. The first drip consists of a saline solution that is harmless and starts immediately. When the warden signals, the inmate is exposed to the witnesses who have gathered in the