Capital Punishment Essay - I Stand Against

Essays - I Stand Against Capital Punishment

Capital punishment is what I consider, “the legal” punishment of a

criminal. Capital punishment has been used as a form of punishment for

many years. At modern time, capital punishment is more controlled.

Although, when capital punishment is mentioned it brings shivers down the

back of most of society. Being it is a factor of death, capital punishment

, should not be taken so lightly.

The term capital does not represent or signify any ideas in the

negative aspect. Capital is defined as first or foremost; first rate or

excellent. Punishment, on the other hand, is defined as the rough handling

or penalization for a wrong doing. Neither of these terms, when mentioned

individually signify anything in the negative aspect. Although when these

two terms are combined there is alot more meaning to them than just

excellent or penalization. These now strictly signify, death.

Capital punishment has been a form of “disciplining” since 1750

B.C., when it was part of the code of Hammarabi. The bible itself, also

prescribes death as a penalty for any of thirty crimes committed. The

crimes ranged from any between murder and fornication. In the 18th

century more than two hundred capital crimes were recognized, and as a

result over one thousand people a year were faced with the sentence of

death.

Now at modern time, the death penalty, has been rekindled.

Although, it is not as barbaric as it was. Now the law only

allows itself the use certain types of “disciplining”. In the early 18th

and 19th century the death penalty was inflicted in many ways. Some ways

were, crucifixion, boiling in oil, drawing and quartering, impalement,

beheading, burning alive, crushing, tearing

asunder, stoning and drowning. In the late 19th century the types of

punishments were limited and only a few of them remained permissible by

law. In the 19th century capital punishment was to only be inflicted by

the following methods: hanging, electrocution, the gas chamber, firing

squad and lethal injection.

The opinions brought upon us stating that the death penalty is a

very strong deterrent against crime holds allot of water. It is a proven

statistical fact that states that have reinstated and now enforce the death

penalty show no difference in their crime and murder rate. In some cases,

states that do impose the death penalty have a higher crime rate than the

states that do not impose this “disciplinary” action.

“Whosoever shed man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed”

(Genesis 9:6). With this statement from Genesis, some people could almost