Denton Criminal Attorney

History of the Death Penalty

For those who are before court for extremely serious crimes, the death penalty could be a very harsh reality. The death penalty has had a long and rocky road to legality in the modern era. Although the death penalty has long been used as a sentence for justice, it has not been until the last century that its morality has been serious judged. Racism has long been felt as a key factor in the justice of the death penalty, as statistics show that most of those who are executed are of African American decent.

In the 1960s, people were starting to take notice of the death penalty statistics. In 1967, a moratorium was placed on all death penalty executions as the yearly average of executed convicts was over 130 people. However, the moratorium ended in 1972, and all those who had been going to be executed had their sentences carried out.

As more laws were being developed as new evidence came to light, updates were made to the law. In 1977, the Supreme Court declared that it was not constitutional to sentence someone to the death penalty for cases of convicted rape.

As new Supreme Court Judges and new cases come before the nations eyes, it is clear that the issue to the death penalty has not yet been solved, and that further discussion is necessary.

Speak with Denton Criminal Attorneys

The death penalty is still in use today. If you or someone you know is involved in a serious legal battle involving the death penalty, contact the Denton criminal attorney of Alexander & Associates by calling 972-420-6560.