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From the beginning of time, the death penalty has been enacted. However, throughout history, it has decreased more and more until today the world has the least number of people put to death for crime. This entry describes the historical development of capital punishment through the centuries and provides an account of the forms and methods used to execute convicted offenders. The entry further discusses the behaviors and crimes that led to the ultimate punishment, while presenting the controversies and legal aspects of capital punishment. Violent crimes and murder rates are also discussed in lieu of the ultimate punishment, and its potential effect on current crime rates.
Lethal injection, electric chair, firing squad, hanging, poison, drowning, drawn and quartering, immersed in boiling oil¸ stoning, crucifixion, sawing asunder, pressing, tearing apart by wild beasts, beheading – all of these and whatever more the mind could conceive have...
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Recommended Reading and References
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Reggio, M.H. (2014). History of the Death Penalty. In: Bruinsma, G., Weisburd, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_281
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_281
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