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This paper is taken from the report of research undertaken with the assistance of a grant from the Criminology Research Council.

See also: How the public see the police: an Australian survey - I

The term 'capital punishment' is derived from the Latin caput, meaning 'head'. It originally referred to death by decapitation, but now applies generally to state sanctioned executions. Some Middle East countries still practise decapitation for certain offences, but more common forms of the death penalty include electrocution, gas, firing squad, lethal injection and hanging.¹

The Criminology Research Advisory Council identifies topics of policy importance for research and may recommend that the AIC develops proposals which are publicly advertised, or which may be actioned by the AIC through other means, in all cases subject to the Director’s agreement. For example, a consultancy project on a specific topic may be recommended to contribute to, or complement, the work of national initiatives by other organisations, or state/territory initiatives that have clear policy or best practice implications for other governments within Australia.