ABSTRACT
Capital punishment, defined herein as killing authorized and undertaken by government authority in order to punish one or more persons for the commission of a criminal offense, is one of the oldest of all criminal sanctions, having been practiced for thousands of years. The United Kingdom abolished capital punishment in 1969. In 1972, the US Supreme Court temporarily declared capital punishment unconstitutional. Lethal injection is today the execution method of choice in 31 states that have authorized capital punishment. In early 2011, the only US manufacturer of sodium thiopental halted its production of the drug, leaving most capital punishment states facing shortages. The federal government of the United States also punishes certain crimes with death sentences. Capital punishment is costly. California's capital punishment system costs taxpayers approximately $137 million each year. Eliminating capital punishment would allow Californians to spend less than $12 million per year for all murder cases.
