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The Birth Of The United States Essay

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The birth of the United States came along with the birth of executions. The first execution took place in May 1607, in Jamestown, Virginia, executing George Kendall (Davis, 2011). The death penalty has shifted throughout history and was only used in cases of extremely serious crimes such as murder or rape. The history of this movement and cases involved provide a better understanding of the transformation of capital punishment for sex offenders. The U.S. Supreme Court in Coker v. Georgia (1977) held that executions for rape were cruel and unusual punishments in violation of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. Therefore, it has been over 50 years since the last person was executed for committing a non-homicide sex crime (Kennedy v. Louisiana, Petitioner’s Brief, 2008, p. 6). Although, there have been efforts to revive the death penalty where victims were not killed, for instance, cases involving child rape and repeat sex offenders. Lastly, policymakers and legislatures must take into account the policy consequences such as underreporting, the dangerous message to sex offenders, and the ordeal of the trial and sentencing.
The early 1900s witnessed a great increase in executions (Death Penalty Information Center, 2016). In 1925, eighteen states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government allowed the death penalty as a punishment for rape (Kennedy v. Louisiana, 2008). From 1930 to 1964, 455 individuals were executed for the rape of a child or an adult (Kennedy

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