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Some places still use it.
A death penalty is very expensive to carry out, and if you get it wrong there's no chance of bringing the person back. Sometimes the execution method fails, which is really messy. And since no one who commits crimes really believe they will get caught it doesn't do much to scare people into staying honest.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoPart of the reason is historical. Capital punishment has been used for centuries, and often times practices that have such a long history are difficult to change.
The Supreme Court has actually banned the death penalty before. In the 1972 case Furman v. Georgia, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty constituted cruel and unusual punishment, thus violating the Eighth Amendment. However, in the 1976 case Gregg v. Georgia, the Supreme Court reversed its decision from four years earlier, and said that the death penalty was not cruel and unusual. The majority opinion stated that "Capital punishment for the crime of murder cannot be viewed as invariably disproportionate to the severity of that crime."
Gregg v. Georgia. No. 74-6257. Supreme Ct. of the US. 2 July 1976.
Wiki User
∙ 8y agoThey used the 14th amendment to ban it. Within the wording of the amendment it restated the theory that people have the right to life and not suffer cruel and unusual punishment. The death penalty it was argued takes life and it is cruel and unusual punishment.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoNot every state is against the death penalty.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoWiki User
∙ 13y agoit was thought of as cruel and unjust
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When was the death penalty abolished in Hawaii?
Hawaii abolished the death penalty in 1948.
What governor abolished the death penalty in Illinois?
George Ryan abolished the death penalty.
Has the death penalty been abolished in the UK?
Yes, the death penalty has been totally abolished in the UK. It was abolished in all cases in 1998
Does Rhode Island have a death penalty?
No, Rhode Island abolished the death penalty in 1984.
When was the death penalty abolished in Afghanistan?
It hasn't been abolished yet
Which country has abolished death penalty?
Philippines
Which state abolished its death penalty in 2007?
New Jersey abolished its death penalty in 2007. It was the first state to abolish the death penalty. Also, New York changed the conviction of its last death row convict in 2007.
When was the death penalty outlawed in the UK?
The death penalty for murder was abolished under the 1965 Murder (Abolition of the Death Penalty Act). The death penalty for treason and a variety of other offences was abolished under the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act. For the absolute avoidance of doubt the death penalty in the UK was absolutely abolished for all offences when the UK became a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights by enacting the 1998 Human Rights Act.
What was penalty was Charles Manson sentenced to?
He was sentenced to death. The death penalty was abolished for all prisoners and his sentence was changed to life.
Do they hang people in Rwanda?
No. Rwanda abolished the death penalty in 2007.
Kailan inalis ang death penalty?
The death penalty was abolished June 24, 2006 in Kahulugan Ng Nobela. This area is part of the Philippines where the death penalty has been suspended.
What state was the first state to abloish capital punishment?
Michigan abolished the death penalty in 1846 for crimes except treason, Rhode Island followed in 1852 and abolished the death penalty for all crimes (including treason). Michigan's death penalty statute was amended in the 1950s or 1960s to exclude the death penalty for treason.
