Death penalty 2

DEATH PENALTY

INTRODUCTION

Death penalty is the killing of a person

The European Union prohibits the use of capital punishment

58 countries actively practice it

95 countries abolished it

1962: premeditated murder or murder with another offence with aggravating circumstances :

A murder has already been commited in the past

Several murders have been commited The murder has been commited with a rape,

a theft,… The murder has been commited to avoid an

arrest or to permit an escape

CASES IN WHICH DEATH PENALTY IS APPLIED

Methods

Lethal injection

Lethal injection

The prisoner and is tied to a strecher Two veins are used Three drugs:

◦ -sodium thiopental (makes the prisoner inconsious)

◦ -pancuronium bromite (paralyzes the diaphragm and lungs)

◦ -potassium chloride (makes the heart stop)

Lethal injection

Electrocution

Electrocution

A wet sponge is placed between the electrode and the prisoner's scalp

They send 2300 volts for eight seconds (1000 volts for 22 seconds and finally 2300 volts for eight seconds)

Electrocution

Lethal gas

Lethal gas

They use an airtight execution chamber

The gas provoke unconsciousness

Death is estimated to usually occur within 6 to 18 minutes of the lethal gas emissions.

Lethal gas

Hanging

Hanging

The short drop : - the prisoner is placed on the back of a horse and

a cart with the noose around the neck- the prisoner dies from strangulation

The standard drop:- it's a drop of between 1,2 and 1,8m - break the person's neck causing immediate paralisis

and unconsciousness

Hanging

Two famous serial killers

Ted Bundy

Born in 1946 in the United States The most famous serial killer He didn't look at all like a criminal He killed and raped 35 women He twice escaped from jail He was executed by eletric chair in Florida

Ted Bundy

Charles Manson

Leader of a community called “The Family” He became famous with a serie of murders

in Los Angeles He organised all the murders, telling what

to do to the others He organised all the murders, telling what

to do to the others The Family had killed more than 10 persons

Charles Manson

He was sentenced to death, but this punishment changed to jail for life

In 1975, a member of his family attempted to assassinate US president Gerald Ford

Now, Charles Manson and his followers are waiting for a possible liberation... This criminal could be free in 2012...

Charles Manson

The worst execution ?

Jospeh Lewis Clark

He was sentenced to die on November 28 in 1984 for the murder of 22-year-old David Manning

He is known for his execution which took 90 minutes !

Wrongful executions

Miscarriage of justice occuring when an innocent person is put to death.

Between 1973 and 2005, 123 people in 25 states  were released from death row when new evidence of their innocence emerged

Once an execution has occured, the case is closed

Examples

Wayne Felker

He was the suspect in the disappearance of a woman in 1981

DNA evidence have cleared Felker or cast doubt on his guilt

There was even a signed confession from another suspect but Felker was executed in 1996

Wayne Felker

Colin Campbell Ross

He was accused of the rape and the murder of a child in Melbourne

In the 1990s, old evidence was re-examined with modern techniques which proved that Ross was innocent

Colin Campbell Ross