The U.S. is now choosing other punishments other then the death penalty for criminals. Executions are now at their lowest in 20 years and major death penalty states just imposed no death sentences this year. In 1999, 70% of people that lived in the U.S lived in a state that used the death penalty in the last three years. By 2014 only 33% of people lived in a state that used capital punishment.
Methods of Execution
The five methods of the death penalty are legal injection, electrocution, gas chamber, hanging, and firing squad. 1261 people have been killed by legal injections, 158 killed by electrocution, 11 by gas chambers, 3 by hanging and 3 by firing squad.
Botched Executions
From a time period of 1890 to 2010, it is estimated that 3% of people executed in the U.S were botched. In August of 1982, Frank Coppola was executed by electrocution. It took two 55-second of jolts of electricity to kill him. Normally it would take 30 seconds to execute someone using this method but it is said that some people may need to take longer. When Coppola got his second jolt witnesses explain that it caused the odor and sizzling sound of burning flesh. Also his head and leg caught on fire and smoke filled throughout the death chamber with a smoky haze.