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capital punishment
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capital punishment

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Also known as: death penalty, execution
Written by
Roger Hood
Professor, Centre for Criminological Research, University of Oxford. Author of The Death Penalty: A Worldwide Perspective and others.
Roger Hood
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: • Article History
Also called:
death penalty
Key People:
Caryl Chessman

News •

2 Prisoners Ask Judge to Block Biden’s Death Sentence Commutations • Jan. 7, 2025, 9:03 PM ET (New York Times)
Biden gives life in prison to 37 of 40 federal death row inmates before Trump can resume executions • Dec. 23, 2024, 6:11 PM ET (AP)

capital punishment, execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense. Capital punishment should be distinguished from extrajudicial executions carried out without due process of law. The term death penalty is sometimes used interchangeably with capital punishment, though imposition of the penalty is not always followed by execution (even when it is upheld on appeal), because of the possibility of commutation to life imprisonment. Capital punishment for murder, treason, arson, and rape was widely employed in ancient Greece under the laws of Draco (fl. 7th century bce), though Plato argued that ...(100 of 2803 words)

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