Death Penalty Definition: Also known as capital punishment, this is the most severe form of corporal punishment as it is requires law enforcement officers to kill the convicted offender. Related Terms: Capital Punishment, Capital Offence Forms of the death penalty include hanging from the neck, gassing, firing squad and has included use of the guillotine. See also capital punishment and corporal punishment. Categories & Topics: Criminal Law Dictionary Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!