Capital Punishment In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

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When a crime is committed there are several punishment options, one of which is the death penalty. This option of chastisement is viewed by some people as a valid solution, yet as an unwise action by others. Truman Capote, author of the nonfiction novel “In Cold Blood,” dives into the quadruple murder of a Kansas family by two men: Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. Though it is often considered a “cruel and unusual” punishment, the death penalty was the proper course of action for the malefactions of Dick and Perry. The death penalty, first established in the Eighteenth Century B.C., has been used for hundreds of years. “The Seventh Century B.C.’s Draconian Code of Athens made death the only punishment for all crimes” (deathpenaltyinfo.org.) Crucifixion, burning alive, drowning, beating to death, and impalement were the common death sentences carried out at the time, however by Tenth Century A.D., hanging became the standard method of execution. The first recorded use of the death penalty in the United States was the hanging of a colonial man in 1608. In 1890 the electric chair was introduced, and in 1924 lethal gas became another method of execution. Subsequently, people began to question whether the death penalty was a proper and justified sentence for committed crimes. The Eighth Amendment of United States Constitution states: “Excessive …show more content…
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