ABSTRACT
This chapter provides introductions to the perspectives of human rights and capital punishment, relevant definitions, and a brief history of capital punishment in the United States, which is necessary to understand the process of capital punishment. It also provides a brief foundation for research on the topic of capital punishment. In economics, capital is defined as the resources used in the production of goods and services. Capital punishment is the legal killing of a person as punishment for a capital offense. The terms death penalty and capital punishment are sometimes used interchangeably, but a person convicted of the death penalty may never be executed. Capital punishment and human rights expert Rick Halperin states, "The death penalty is a process, not an act." Governments may impose capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, for capital offenses such as evidence of multiple murders, a murder while committing a felony, torture, lying in wait to kill someone, or killing a peace officer.
