.... death penalty was not used, although the results of interrogation and torture were often fatal. By the end of the 15th century, English law recognized seven major crimes: treason (grand and petty), murder, larceny, burglary, rape, and arson. By 1800, more than 200 capital crimes were recognized, and as a result, 1000 or more persons were sentenced to death each year (although most sentences were commuted by royal pardon). In the American colonies before the Revolution, the death penalty was commonly authorized for a wide variety of crimes. Blacks, whether slave or free, were threatened with death for many crimes that were punished less severely when committed by whites. The R ....

.... Young offenders act is still ongoing but Leshied says that it is becoming clear that the custody positions have been in dispute since the act came into effect. The old Juvenile delinquency act states in section 38 "The care and custody and discipline of a juvenile delinquent shall approximate as nearly as maybe that which should be given by his parents, and... as far as practability every juvenile delinquent shall be treated, not as a criminal, but as a misguided and misdirected child . . . needing aid, encouragement, help and assistance."(Page 72) If a youth is close to the adult age of 18 years they could be transfered to the adult justice system. This means that th ....

.... isn't fit to drive, and no one else argues with them. Generally, when sober, people know that it is wrong to drink and drive, but it boils down to the fact that at the time when this important decision is being made, a person's judgement is impaired. This problem is all too common among young people. Although people attempt to drill the message "don't drink and drive" into young minds everywhere as early as kindergarten, it doesn't seem to be enough. A child needs to get this message early and often. This is unfortunately not always so. Today, only one in every three parents has given their children a clear "no use" message about alcohol. (www.madd.org) Contrary to pop ....

.... the ultimate sin achieve its goal? There are many lofty and rational arguments on both sides of this issue. Advocates of the death penalty claim that the primary reason for this harsh punishment is that the fear of death discourages people from committing murder. The main ways in which they support this theory are: the severity of the punishment, various polls of citizens and prisoners, and two in particular studies. The most obvious deterring justification is the severity of punishment (Calebresi 19). This means, put simply, to punish for a crime in a way that the punishment outweighs the crime. If the punishment for robbing a bank is to spend one day in jail, then b ....

.... a white, crystalline compound that has been processed from the leaves of the coca plant (Erythroxylum coca), a tropical shrub commonly found wild in Peru and Bolivia and cultivated in many other countries. For centuries South American Indians have chewed the coca leaves for pleasure and to help them withstand strenuous working conditions, hunger, and thirst. The cocaine in the leaves produces local anesthesia of the mouth and stomach. Cocaine is a dangerous, habit-forming drug. It is classified as an alkaloid compound. (Other well-known alkaloids are morphine, strychnine, and nicotine.) Cocaine stimulates the cortex of the brain, producing intense euphoria and the d ....

.... cost about $30 million dollars. Despite common wisdom, the U.S isn't experiencing a drug related crime wave. Government surveys show between 1980 - 1987 burglary rates fell 27 percent, robbery 21 percent and murders 13 percent, but with new drugs on the market these numbers are up. One contraversial solution is the proposal of legalizing drugs. Although people feel that legalizing drugs would lessen crime, drugs should remain illegal in the U.S because there would be an increase of drug abuse and a rapid increase of diseases such as AIDS. Many believe that legalizing drugs would lessen crime. They ....

.... government due to the way the book portrays the drug ecstasy in a primarily positive way. According to the author of the book, even anti-drug groups are opposed to the ban because they believe both sides of the story should be heard. As I read this book, at first I felt a temptation to try ecstasy due to the positive way in which the drug was described. After reading further into the text, however, much more detailed information about the drug is brought fourth. For example, the book associates use of ecstasy with the cultures of all kinds of illegal drugs. In my opinion, the ban should be lifted because the book does not just give the positive information about this ....

.... is electrocution. Present in nine American states, it was first used in New York in 1890. When a condemned man is scheduled to be executed, he is led into the death chamber and strapped to the point of immobility into a reinforced chair with belts crossing his chest, groin, legs, and arms. Two copper electrodes, dipped in brine or treated with Eletro-Creme to increase conductivity, are attached to him, one to his leg and the other to his head. The first jolt, between five-hundred and two-thousand volts depending on the size of the prisoner, is given for 30 seconds. Smoke will begin to come out of the prisoner's leg and head and these areas may catch fire if the victim ....