Final Exam Essay

Cruel
and
Unusual
2
Punishm
ent 008
CORE Civics 2008, Instructor: Gregg Dold. Sam Paro
QUOTES/EXCERPTS
It is a cruel and unusual punishment that does not act as a deterrent, costs more
than a life sentence and, above all, is an abuse of human rights.

The Ancient Laws of China established the death penalty. In the 18th Century BC,
the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon allowed the death penalty for 25 crimes,
but murder was not included. The first recorded death sentence was in 16th Century
BC Egypt. A member of nobility, was accused of magic, and ordered to take his own
life. Non nobility were usually killed with an ax.

Legal executions came to America in 1776 when British soldiers hung Nathan Hale
for spying during the Revolutionary War.

We assume people are just put to sleep, but if you

are paralysed it may mask the fact that these
people are under extreme pain
Capital punishment does not deter crime, it provokes it. Capital punishment does
not seek justice. Capital punishment is murder. We as a society are guilty of a
capital crime. What is our punishment?

"The first person to die in the electric chair was William Kemmler, an ax murderer
from New York on August 6, 1890."

There is no action that can ever justify the murder

of another person.
In December, Kenneth Lee Boyd, a 57-year-old Vietnam veteran, became the
1,000th person to be executed in the US since the Supreme Court re-instated
capital punishment in 1976. – BBC News
The chemicals:
The first, sodium thiopental, induces unconsciousness when given in
the specified amounts and
thereby ensures that the prisoner does not experience any pain
associated
with the paralysis and cardiac arrest caused by the second and
third drugs, pancuronium bromide and potassium chloride.
38 of the 50 US states and the federal government permit capital
punishment. – BBC News

SOURCES
34 Minute Execution-- http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1214-03.htm
http://media.www.duclarion.com/media/storage/paper481/news/2004/02/24/Editorial
s/Capital.Punishment.Is.Wrong-615849.shtml
http://www.karisable.com/crpundeath.htm
http://www.essaydepot.com/essayme/1493/index.php
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/execution/readings/history.html
http://www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=28440

ACTUAL ESSAY

Ever since ancient China, Capital Punishment has been the primary source of

punishment for the utmost criminals of the world. If you kill someone severely,

you’re put to death. Hello, my name is America, and I’m going to kill you. But I’m

not just killing you for the fun of it;I’m killing you because you killed someone.

Sound unfair? I think so.

I can just imagine the massive bunch of doctors hovering over the criminal,

the faces they’re wearing, and the sound of their voices. They’re about to strap

you to a gurney and insert intra-venous lines into your arms. First, you’re injected

with an Anaesthetic, which puts you to sleep. Next, Pancuronium Bromide,

which paralyses the entire muscle system and stops the inmate’s, breathing.

This one is suspected for cruel and unusual punishment. It’s accused of

being extremely painful, but the criminal being executed can’t say anything,

because the drug is in the process of killing them. In fact, if they hadn’t gone

through with the first injection, the criminal would most likely be shrieking

with severe pain. And then finally, the flow of potassium chloride stops the

heart.