Capital punishment

Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned homicide as punishment for a crime. The sentence ordering that someone is punished with the death penalty is called a death sentence, and the act of carrying out such a sentence is known as an execution. A prisoner awaiting their execution is condemned and is "on death row". Crimes that are punishable by death are known as capital crimes, capital offences or capital felonies, and vary depending on the jurisdiction, but commonly include serious crimes against the person such as murder, mass murder, aggravated cases of rape, child rape, child sexual abuse, terrorism, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, along with crimes against the state including, but not limited to, attempting to overthrow government, treason, espionage, sedition, piracy, and aircraft hijacking. Also, in some cases, acts of recidivism, aggravated robbery, and kidnapping, in addition to drug trafficking, drug dealing, and drug possession, are capital crimes or enhancements.

Etymologically, the term capital (lit. "of the head", derived via the Latin 'capitalis' from 'caput', "head") describes execution by beheading, but executions are carried out by many methods including hanging, shooting, lethal injection, stoning, electrocution and gassing.