Lethal injection

The convict is strapped down to a table, arms stretched out in a cross. An attendant inserts an intravenous (IV) tube, similar to those used for anesthesia during surgery, into the convict’s arm. From behind the window, an officer presses a button that releases a deadly dose of barbiturates through the IV. The convict falls into a deep sleep, his heart rate and breathing slow and, within minutes, stop.

Gas chamber

The convict is strapped into a chair in an airtight room. From outside the room, an attendant causes sodium cyanide pellets to be dropped into a bucket of acid located beneath the convict’s chair. The fumes cause death within ten minutes.

Hanging

The convict has a hood placed over his head and has his hands bound behind the back. He is led to a platform and a noose is placed over his head. The attendant causes the platform beneath the convict’s feet to fall away quickly. The force of the drop snaps the spinal cord. Death occurs within seconds. A common form of execution in the 19^th and early 20^th century, hanging is legal in only 3 states today.

Electrocution

The convict is strapped into a wooden chair, a helmet is placed on his head and the helmet is strapped to a brace behind the chair. Electrodes are attached to the head and one leg. The warden flips a switch causing five amperes of current at 2,000 volts to flow into the body. The electricity interferes with brain and nerve function and causes death within three minutes.

Firing Squad

The convict has a hood placed over the head and is made to stand against a concrete wall. On command, a dozen shooters take aim and fire several rounds into the convict. Depending on the number of bullets and their placement, death may be instant or take several minutes. Once a common form of military execution, the firing squad is legal in one state today.

Activity 13. Match punishment with its description.

1. capital punishment a. a period of time in jail

2. corporal punishment b. being made to do specially hard work while in prison

3. eviction c. death

4. a heavy fine d. a punishment imposed only if you commit a further crime

5. internment e. a large sum of money to pay

6. penal servitude f. whipping or beating

7. a prison sentence g. regular meetings with a social worker

8. probation h. removing from a house or land by law

9. solitary confinement i. limiting the freedom of movement

10. a suspended sentence j. being imprisoned completely alone

Activity 14. You are a judge. You must decide how long to send the accused to prison for. You can also acquit.

1. The accused is a prisoner of war. Your country has just defeated his. He was a pilot. He dropped an atom bomb on your tenth largest city killing 200,000 people and injuring many more.

2. The accused is a doctor. He gave an overdose to an 85-year-old painter who had terminal cancer. The painter had asked for the overdose. The painter’s family accuse the doctor of murder.

3. The accused found her husband in their bed with another woman. She took the breadknife and killed him.

4. This man is a well-known leader of a radical organization. He was tried for possessing one marijuana cigarette and sentenced to ten years in prison. He is appealing the decision.

5. The three teenage boys were having a fight with a fourth boy near a swimming pool. They threw him in the water and then stood on him till he drowned.

Activity 15. Points for discussion:

1. Crime is a kind of disease and should be treated as such.

2. Small crimes always proceed great ones.

3. Suicide should not be considered to be a crime.

4. Violence is sometimes justified.

5. There is no justification for terrorism.

6. Prostitution and sale of light drugs should be legal.

7. Capital punishment is a deterrent against crime.

8. Ownership of guns must be carefully regulated by the government.

9. Abortion could be considered to be a crime and must be banned.

Activity 16. Write a letter to a newspaper giving your opinion about the judgment.

A judge ordered an 82-year-old man to pay $4,000 damages to a burglar who was trying to break into his house. Jack Lewis was asleep in his house in Maidstone when he heard noises. He picked up his shotgun and went downstairs where he found Michael Philips in the hall with a bag full of electrical equipment. Phillips claimed that because he was unarmed, he put the goods down and raised his hands when he saw the shotgun. Lewis said, Phillips had turned to run out of the open front door, so he shot him. Phillips suffered minor wounds to the legs. In the trial, the judge said despite the fact that Lewis was defending his own property, the shotgun was unlicensed and in any case it was not acceptable for people to take the law into their own hands.

Activity 17. Look through the article and discuss it with your group mates.