InspiteofallstoriesofprosperityintheUnitedStates,notonlydoespovertyexistthere,butcrimesofvarioustypeshavebeenincreasingatanalarmingrate．Mostactsofviolencewerecommittedbyyoungpeople．57%ofthecriminalsarrestedin1979wereyouthsbelow25ofage． Everyoneagreesthatcrimeispartlyaresultofbadmaterialconditions:poverty,lackofeducation,livingwithoutasettledhome,beingparentless,sufferingsfromotherkindsofmisfortune,etc． Therearealsootherfactorsthanmaterialconditionswhichareresponsibleforthesharpincreaseofcrimerate．Inthefirstplace,somestatelawsprovideadeathpenaltybutsomenot．Secondly,theConstitutionallowseverycitizentocarryweaponsforhisownprotection．Itisthereforepossibleandeasyforanyoneinthecountrytogetagun．Finally,therehasbeentoomuchshownonTVandtoomuchreportedinnewspaperofallkindsofcrime,thedetailsofwhicharesoaccuratelydescribedthatevenchildrenknowhowtoduplicatewhattheyhaveseenorread． Allthesehaveresultedinahighfrequencyofcrimescommittedbothbyprofessionalcriminalsandbynonprofessionalonesinmurder,drugsmuggling,robbery,etc． Theunderlinedword"penalty"isclosestinmeaningto__________．
A.punishment
B.trial
C.accusation
D.execution
正确答案是A