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Introduction
The death penalty's history goes much further than the 1970's. However, for this timeline I'll be discussing the last 50 years and how things have changed. The methods of executions are different now as well as the number of executions and public opinion. The biggest change throughout the last 50 years in my opinion is the switch to lethal injection and how it became the most used method. Also the extreme decrease in executions now. -
The 1970s
Electrocution became the standard method for executions until 1982, when lethal injection was used for the first time. The picture shown is an example of the electric chair. [3]
In 1972, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was unconstitutional. That led the Supreme Court to rule that death penalty for murder, rape, arson, and burglary would be mandatory. That ruling was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976 and the convictions of 120 people then on death row were vacated.[5] -
The 1980's
Lethal Injection Table shown in picture is used to strap inmates down.
December 7, 1982 - Charles Brooks becomes the first person executed by lethal injection. [4]
1980-1989 consecutive years of hundreds of executions.
Executing juveniles under 15 is unconstitutional -
The 1990's
Death Sentences Peaked
The last person to be executed in the gas chamber was German national Walter LaGrand, sentenced to death before 1992, who was executed in Arizona on March 3, 1999. [7]
The Unconstitutionality of executing someone who claimed innocence debated [6] -
The 2000's
Gas Chamber Pictured- Inmates were sealed in while lethal gas was released. Gas executions are no longer used in the US.
Executions Drop
6 Free From Death Row and Exonerated [8] -
The 2010's
The number of executions also steeply declined, falling 45.1% in the 2010s from the decade of the 2000s. 266 fewer executions were carried out in that period. [9] -
Works Cited
- https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-procedure/the-u-s-and-the-death-penalty.html 2.https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/2021-gallup-poll-public-support-for-capital-punishment-remains-at-half-century-low 3.https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-procedure/recent-death-penalty-statistics.html
- https://www.ncdcr.gov/blog/2014/06/01/death-penalty-debated-1970s
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works cited 2
- https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-and-research/sentencing-data/death-sentences-in-the-united-states-from-1977-by-state-and-by-year 7.https://web.archive.org/web/20081011002515/http://www.cnn.com/US/9903/04/arizona.execution.01/
- https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-and-research/history-of-the-death-penalty/limiting-the-death-penalty
- https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-procedure/recent-death-penalty-statistics.html