In message <Gu_wj.2982$pl4.2929@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>, Mike
Schilling <mscottschilling@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes
>Is there any state where most murderers [1] get the death penalty? Was
>there ever such a state?
In the UK the standard penalty for murder (until the late 1950s) was
death by hanging, usually carried out within a couple of weeks after
sentencing unless appealed and appeals were not that common. The
sentence could be commuted to life imprisonment by the Home Secretary
but there was no lesser sentence the judge could hand down. Manslaughter
was different, resulting in jail time but it was not a capital offence.
Nowadays a murder conviction in the UK results in a period of
incarceration specified by the judge and depending on the offence.
Anything from life meaning life (very rare), thirty or forty years for,
say, terrorist bombers who kill lots of people down to about 12 years
for other cases such as "crimes of passion". After they have served that
part of their sentence the prisoner may be released into the community
under licence. The conviction is never spent and they can be
re-incarcerated if they breach the terms of their licence (associating
with known criminals, violence, other criminal acts etc.)
--
To reply, my gmail address is nojay1 Robert Sneddon
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