death penalty

n.1. A sentence or punishment of death by execution.2. The practice or legal sanction of allowing the imposition of punishment of death for people convicted of certain crimes.

death penalty

n (Law) the death penalty capital punishment

death′ pen`alty

n. capital punishment.

Thesaurus

Noun

death penalty - putting a condemned person to deathcapital punishment, executing, executioncorporal punishment - the infliction of physical injury on someone convicted of committing a crimeburning at the stake, burning - execution by firehanging - a form of capital punishment; victim is suspended by the neck from a gallows or gibbet until dead; "in those days the hanging of criminals was a public entertainment"electrocution, burning - execution by electricitybeheading, decapitation - execution by cutting off the victim's headcrucifixion - the act of executing by a method widespread in the ancient world; the victim's hands and feet are bound or nailed to a cross

Translations

死刑

death penalty

n. the sentence of execution for murder and some other capital crimes. (See: capital punishment)

death penalty

punishment by way of killing the offender. The various modes through time and space have been hanging (Anglo-American), guillotine (France) and electrocution and lethal injection (USA). It is extremely popular with the public and the families of victims, but, because it is so easy to make a mistake in any judicial process and this particular legal cock-up cannot be corrected by more paper shuffling, it is going out of fashion. While the framers of the US Constitution could not outlaw it by preventing cruel and unusual punishment (if everybody does it, it is usual and if you do it quickly it's not cruel). Modern human rights lawyers have rather started to eliminate it. The penalty no longer exists for any offence in the UK. The UK ratified Protocol 6 of the European Convention in May 1999, which commits contracting parties to permanently abolishing the death penalty. In December 1999 the UK ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which also abolishes the death penalty. The death penalty for treason and piracy was abolished by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

death penalty

death penalty

death penalty

death′ pen`alty

death penalty

death penalty:

death penalty

death penalty

death penalty

death penalty

Synonyms for death penalty

noun putting a condemned person to death

Synonyms

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