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Persuasive Essay On The Death Penalty

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Capital punishment is the government practice of punishing a criminal by execution that dates back to the 18th century, however times were very different back then. Nowadays, the death penalty is carried out by lethal injection and in some states the electric chair, while in the early years of this practice it was hanging, stoning, being torn apart, etc. Some crimes that are punishable in Florida by the death penalty are First-degree murder; felony murder; capital drug trafficking; and capital sexual battery. Pennsylvania was the first state to move capital punishment out of the public eye and into correctional facilities. William Kemmler lived in New York and was the first person in the United States to receive the death penalty in 1890 for the murder of his wife with an ax. As mentioned, the electric chair was a form of capital punishment and when the first electric shock was delivered to Kemmler at approximately 700 volts, he did not die right away. A second shock was needed at 1,030 volts for two minutes, afterwards there were clear signs that Kemmler was deceased. Doctors then stated after the execution that they would have been better off using an ax instead of the electric chair. Over the years the death penalty has been a very controversial topic. Some say that this should be illegal and abolished while others state it is more effective than life in prison.

The government has reserved the death penalty for the criminals who commit heinous crimes. The expression "Eye

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