FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions
 * What are the most common forms of execution? ~ Schumer
 * Execution by shooting is a form of capital punishment whereby an executed person is shot by one or more firearms. It is the most common method of execution worldwide, used in about 70 countries,[1] with execution by firing squad being one particular form.
 * Lethal injection is the top form of execution in the U.S.
 * Hanging is the second most common method practiced in 58 countries
 * China performs the most executions than any other country and execute by firing squad.


 * Statistics about the death penalty? ~ Schumer


 * How many victims of capital punishment have there been in the United States within the past year? ~ Schumer
 * There were 52 victims of capital punishment in 2009.
 * There have been 45 so far this year.


 * What are the alternatives to capital punishment? ~ Schumer
 * Life imprisonment without parole, r ehabilitation, reformatories

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 * Are there any cases where the Church allows capital punishment? ~ Schumer
 * The Catholic Church allows capital punishment as long as it is an action of the state based on judgment, not hatred. The Church allows it if it is the only way to defend the society.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What costs more the death penalty or life in jail? ~ Horejsi
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The death penalty costs much more annually than life in prison. The state of California, in one year, uses over $250 million on death penalty, and just $11.5 million on life in prison.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">How much does the death penalty cost? ~ Horejsi
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Average cost in both Texas and Florida is 2.3 million. This, however includes the multiple appeals, the average 6 year incarceration of the prisoner before appeals are exhausted and then the actual execution.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">When did capital punishment become legal in the U.S.? ~ Horejsi
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">1976


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">In what countries is the death penalty still practiced? ~Horejsi
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Afghanistan, Antigua/Barbuda, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Chan, China, Comoros, Congo (Democratic Republic), Cuba, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakstan, Korea (North), Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Authority, Qatar Saint Christopher & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United States, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What forms of execution are used in the U.S. for capital punishment? ~ Horejsi
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Electrocution, lethal injection, hanging, gas, and shooting.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">During an execution is the criminals family allowed to watch?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Yes in most states with executions.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What five states have the highest rate of capital punishment? ~ D'Agostini
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The five states are Texas, Virginia, Oklahoma, Florida, and Missouri.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What is the purpose of the death penalty? ~ D'Agostini
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The death penalty is among the oldest criminal punishments. It served three purposes : to punish a crime, to prevent its repetition, and to discourage crimes.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Why does it take so long for a person who is actually sentenced to death to be put to death? ~ D'Agostini
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Most states have extensive appeals processes that can take years to negotiate.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">For what crimes can be given the death penalty? ~ D'Agostini
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">You can be given the death penalty for murder, espionage, treason, rape, adultery, sodomy, apostasy, drug trafficking, and human trafficking.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What was the first recorded use of the death penalty? ~ D'Agostini
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Death penalties have been applied in societies as long as human beings have walked the earth.The first known use of the death penalty occurred in Egypt in the 16th century BC, when someone was accused of doing magic and was forced to take his own life. - D'Agostini


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What is the Church’s view on capital punishment? ~ D'Agostini
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The Church believes capital punishment is sinful in every respect. There are no exceptions because no sin is worth death. God decides when people are taken from this world.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Are there any Bible passages supporting the Church’s view? ~ D'Agostini
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Yes:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you... whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." Mat. 5:38-39
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">"He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." John 8:7
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" Mat. 6:12


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What alternatives does the Church suggest besides capital punishment? ~ D'Agostini
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The Church suggests life in prison and therapy to take care of criminals without being inhumane to prisoners.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What has the US Supreme Court ruled is the youngest age at which a person can be executed? ~ Horejsi
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">In Roper v. Simmons, 543 US 551 (2005), the US Supreme Court held that it is unconstitutional to execute juvenile offenders, effectively raising the minimum age for capital punishment to 18. Roper overruled an earlier Court decision, Stanford v. Kentucky, 492 US 361 (1989), that determined execution was permissible for juveniles 16 years and older. The Stanford decision overturned 25 State laws that allowed execution of individuals younger than age 16.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What states don't have the death penalty? ~ Horejsi
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">As of October 2009, fourteen states and the District of Columbia have abolished the death penalty. These states are Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Washington DC, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">How many innocent people have died from the death penalty? ~ Horejsi
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">There is no way to know for sure. Actually, there is no evidence to suggest that any innocent person has actually been killed by the death penalty. In fact with DNA testing the chances are close to 0 that any innocent person will ever be killed by the death penalty. Since 1973, over 130 people have been released from death rows throughout the country due to evidence of their wrongful convictions. In 2003 alone, 10 wrongfully convicted defendants were released from death row.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">How many jurisdictions have the death penalty? ~ Horejsi
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">38 states and the federal government ha 38 states and the federal government have the death penalty. The states are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Why do there seem to be fewer pro-death penalty than anti-death penalty websites? ~ Horejsi
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Fewer pro-death penalty than anti-death penalty organizations are represented on the Internet. This may be due to the fact that most U.S. states have a death penalty.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Are capital cases handled differently than other criminal cases? ~ Horejsi
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Because they involve a life-or-death decision, capital cases are unique in our criminal justice system. As the U.S. Supreme Court has said, “death is different.” The laws and judicial decisions that govern this highly specialized area of law make it clear that death penalty cases are far more demanding, complex, costly, and, of necessity, protracted, than other criminal cases. In order to defend a case effectively, defense counsel must invest hundreds of hours in preparation, hire investigators and experts, such as mental health professionals and forensic scientists, and have a thorough knowledge of the highly specialized body of death penalty law


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">How many people are awaiting execution? ~ Horejsi
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">As of January 2007 there were over 3,300 people on state and federal death row


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">In what states, as of 2009, is it allowed? ~ Wenzel
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Alabama
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Arizona
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Arkansas
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">California
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Colorado
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Connecticut
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Delaware
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Florida
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Georgia
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Idaho
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Indiana
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Illinois
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Kansas
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Kentucky
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Louisiana
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Maryland
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Mississippi
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Missouri
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Montana
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Nebraska
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Nevada
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">New Hampshire
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">North Carolina
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Ohio
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Oklahoma
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Oregon
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Pennsylvania
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">South Carolina
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">South Dakota
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Tennessee
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Texas
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Utah
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Virginia
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Washington
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Wyoming
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">* New York has not accepted or abolished the death penalty, which is why they are not on the lists.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What is the most common state that allows the death penalty and why?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The state of texas has killed approximately 369 people, compared to the next largest of Virginia with 108. However, California has the most people awaiting death. Texas is also the state with the most murder, which could account for the outstanding amount of deaths.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Why do these states allow it?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">They only allow it in certain cases, all of them involving murder. the states believe that the prisons would be better without these people in them, and if they ever were to escape people would be in danger. death seems the most obvious reason to fix this, even though it is the most expensive.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What are crimes that would put you on death row?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Most of the crimes involve murder, and in the process of the murder either rape or robbery. other crimes that would put you on death row would be robbery, rape, kidnapping, aiding a runaway (if major), and arson. REFER TO THE MOVIE LAW ABIDING CITIZEN.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What are the most common ways of ending someones life?
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">From 1976 to November 4, 2010 there were 1,233 executions, of which 1,059 were by lethal injection, 157 by electrocution, 11 by gas chamber, 3 by hanging, and 3 by firing squad.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The below chart is the only other 4 methods of killing since 1996.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Method || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Date || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">State || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Convict ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Electrocution || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">March 18, 2010 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Virginia || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Paul Powell ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Shooting || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">June 18, 2010 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Utah || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Ronald Ledd Gardner ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Lethal gas || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">March 3, 1999 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Arizona || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Walter LaGrand ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Hanging || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">January 25, 1996 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Delaware || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">William Bailey ||