The death penalty has been used in some way or another for many centuries. The first known execution in the colonies of the soon to be United States was of Daniel Frank, put to death for theft in the colony of Virginia. Beginning in the 1930's, death penalty statistics started to be recorded on a regular basis. From 1930 to 1967, 3,859 persons were executed under civil jurisdiction in the United States. Three out of five of those executions took place in the Southern U.S., with the State of Georgia having the highest number of executions during that period.

One argument for the death penalty is that the death penalty deters crime, and that the threat of being executed is enough to make criminals reconsider committing a capital crime. Professional criminals, like everyone else, are aware of the consequences of their actions; the existence of the death penalty will hopefully make these criminals think twice. Not all criminals on death row are professional criminals, some are here because their first crime was a murder or kidnapping, or some other capital crime. However, it is foolish to imagine that a criminal is going to carefully weigh the consequences of his actions before committing the criminal act. By the time he has decided to commit his crime, he has already forgotten other forms of punishment besides the death penalty, such as life imprisonment.

The use of the Electric chair is the most widely known method of the capital punishment (Methods of Execution, 1999). Many people have seen pictures of botched or successful electrocutions in movies and in the media. Some chairs in different states have been used so much that they have received nicknames, like Old Sparky. For execution by the electric chair, the person's head is shaved and strapped to a chair with leather belts that cross his chest, groin, legs, and arms. A metal helmet with electrodes is strapped to the scalp and forehead over a sponge moistened with a saline solution (Methods of Execution, 1999). The sponge must not be too wet or the saline short-circuits the electric current, and not too dry, as it would then have a very high resistance. An additional electrode is moistened and attached to a portion of the prisoner's shaved leg (Methods of Execution, 1999). The prisoner is then blindfolded.

Execution, 1999). Death results from overdose and cardiac arrest while the condemned person is unconscious (Methods of Execution, 1999).

After the team of officers' has withdrawn to an adjoining room, the warden signals the executioner, who pulls a handle to connect the power supply. An electric jolt of between 500 and 2000 volts, lasting for about 30 seconds, is given to the prisoner (Methods of Execution, 1999). The current of electricity is then turned off, at which time the body can be seen relaxing. The doctors wait a few seconds for the body to cool down and then check to see if the inmate's heart is still beating. If the heart has not been stopped, another wave of electricity is applied (Methods of Execution, 1999). This process will continue until the prisoner is dead. The prisoner's hands often grip the chair and there may be violent movement of the limbs, which can result in dislocation or fractures. Autopsies' have been delayed for several hours because the body temperature is so high that it could injure the doctor performing the act (Methods of Execution, 1999).

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