The Death Penalty

Debate

The death penalty is not a new debate, laws against capital punishment date back to 18 B.C. Many of the major arguments against the death penalty are based on inhumane practices and irreversability. Counter arguements say it grants fair justice to victims and deters crime. A lot of the debate is focused on moral differences, racial, and economical biases.

protsting aginst the death penalty

William Henry Furman

Furman v. Georgia

Begining in the 1960s, there began to be a gradual decline in the amount of prisoners executed, partly because of mass protesting against the death penalty. On June 29, 1972, the supreme court case of Furman v. Georgia, completely suspended the death penalty in a 5-4 ruling. Stating that “the imposition and carrying out of the death penalty in these cases constitute cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments..."

Reinstated

Once again the death penalty was reinstated, because of Gregg v. Georgia (1976), in which a 7-2 desision reconsidered the ruling that the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th amendment.
For many years after Gregg v. Georgia the amount of death sentences stayed within 1-2 per year. But, In 1984 the amount of executions spiked up from 5 people to 21 people.

Troy Leon Gregg's mugshot