The History of Capital Punishment as a Deterrent to Crime

2622 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: capital punishment and its effects

In today’s day and age, many people have had high minded and ordained question concerning capital punishment, or the death penalty. Through the passing of time, our society castigates transgressors with the death penalty. Many nations through time have decided to enact this harsh treatment. In the United States alone, the federal government has persevered to reinforce people to death (Marzillo 10). According to Wikipedia Encyclopedia, “Capital Punishment is the execution of a person by judicial process as a punishment for an offense.”

Over the centuries capital punishment has been one of the most controversial debates in our society. The decapitation of criminals and domestic opponents has been used by many of our societies. The purpose of decapitating is to decrease crime rates and have a safe society, but many of Americans today argue that capital punishment is and is not a deterrent. (Wikipedia). Practices of the death penalty have been held in some countries mainly for murder, treason, sexual crimes and many other criminal and non criminal offenses. As a believer of the bible, when Jesus walked on the earth, capital punishment was used through out the new and old testament directly and indirectly in many ways. For example we see this directly when we remember the story of Cain and Abel. The very first murder to have ever occurred on the face of the earth was the killing of Abel by his very own brother. Cain however did not suffer to be executed for the crime because “the situation at that time murder was unclear.” (The Death Penalty-A defense). Cain had the mark of God set upon him so that if anyone found him the mark will keep them from killing Cain (Gen. 4:13-15). The Old Testament we can say endorsed capital punishment be...

... middle of paper ...

.... Capital Punishment: Point-Counterpoint. Philadelphia: Chelsea HP, 2003.

Torr, James D and Laura K. Egendorf. Problems of Death: Opposing Viewpoints. SanDiego: Green Haven Press, 2000

Introduction to the Death Penalty. Death Penalty Information Center. 2009. 08 December 2009 < http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/part-i-history-death-penalty>

The Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment in the USA. Thoughts.10 December 2009.
Capital Punishment. Wikipedia Encyclopedia.com

The Death Penalty-A Defense. David Anderson.1998. 10 December 2009.

The Bible

Texas Execution Information Center. Texas Department of Criminal Justice. David Carson. 2009. 11 December 2009

1

Show More
Related

  • The History of the Death Penalty

    2054 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout the history of man there has always existed a sort of rule pertaining to retribution for just and unjust acts. For the just came rewards, and for the unjust came punishments. This has been a law as old as time. One philosophy about the treatment of the unjust is most controversial in modern time and throughout our history; which is is the ethical decision of a death penalty. This controversial issue of punishment by death has been going on for centuries. It dates back to as early as 399 B.C.E., to when Socrates was forced to drink hemlock for his “corruption of the youth” and “impiety”.

    Read More

  • Jeffrey Toobin's Perspectives On Capital Punishment

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is capital punishment? Capital punishment is defined as “The legal authorization to kill someone as a punishment for a crime.” The death penalty has been a widely debated topic on its moral standing and effectiveness of use. In this paper I will be presenting the thoughts of four people; Austin Sarat, Kent Scheidegger, Jeffrey Toobin, and my own and our perspectives on capital punishment being used.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Essay - True Justice Through Application of the Death Penalty

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    The death penalty, as administered by states based on their individual laws, is considered capital punishment, the purpose of which is to penalize criminals convicted of murder or other heinous crimes (Fabian).  The death penalty issue has been the focus of much controversy in recent years, even though capital punishment has been a part of our country's history since the beginning.  Crimes in colonial times, such as murder and theft of livestock were dealt with swiftly and decisively ("The Death Penalty...").  Criminals were hanged shortly after their trial, in public executions. This practice was then considered just punishment for those crimes.  Recently though, the focus of the death penalty debate has been on moral and legal issues.  The murderers of today's society can be assured of a much longer life even after conviction, with the constraints of the appeals process slowing the implementation of their death sentence.  In most cases, the appeal process lasts several years, during which time criminals enjoy comfortable lives.  They have television, gym facilities, and the leisure time to attend free college-level classes that most American citizens must struggle to afford.  Foremost, these murderers have the luxury of time, something their victims ran out of the moment their paths crossed.  It is time this country realized the only true justice for these criminals is in the form of the death penalty.  The death penalty should be administered for particularly heinous crimes.

    Read More

  • Death Penalty is Legal in 32 States

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the legal authorization of killing someone as punishment for a crime they committed. The death penalty is legal in 32 states of the 50 states in the United States and ever since 1976, the United States has performed 1379 executions. For many years, there has been a serious controversy regarding the death penalty. It is often questioned whether the death penalty should be continued or abolished. The death penalty should be abolished because it is unconstitutional, costly, immoral, and can kill innocent people who were wrongly accused.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment: The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, is when someone convicted of a crime is put to death by the state. This practice has been around for centuries. The death penalty has evolved from acts like public hanging, to the more “humane” lethal injection used today. Many people view this as the only acceptable punishment for murderers, mass rapist, and other dangerous crimes.

    Read More

  • The Need for Capital Punishment in America

    1160 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is the firm belief and position here that committing such a crime as murder is punishable by death. Americans should take a position for anyone on death row, to be executed sooner rather than later.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On The Death Penalty

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    The death penalty, capital punishment, in the words of the Oxford English Dictionary is the legally authorized execution of an individual as discipline for a crime (“Death Penalty”). Exactly one hundred and sixty-nine years before the establishment of the United States of America, in year 1607, George Kendall was the first to meet his fate to a firing squad in Jamestown, Virginia as retribution for discord, mutiny, and espionage (Green 1). Some four hundred and seven years later, the fate of the death penalty itself has become one rather controversial—in the landmark Supreme Court case Furman v. Georgia (1972), the implementation of absolute justice was ruled unconstitutional; yet a mere four years later, this decision was overruled. One thousand

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On The Death Penalty

    1644 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since the 13 colonies were first established in America, the death penalty has been the main form of capital punishment as a firmly deep-rooted institution in the United States. Today, one of the most debated issues in the criminal justice system is the issue of capital punishment. While receiving disapproving viewpoints as those who oppose the death penalty find moral fault in capital punishment, the death penalty has taken a very different course in America while continuing to further advancements in the justice system since the start of the new millennium. While eliminating overcrowding in state jails, the death penalty has managed to save tax payers dollars as well as deteriorate crime and apprehend criminals.

    Read More

  • The Death Penalty

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    The death penalty continues to be an issue of controversy and is an issue that will be debated in the United States for many years to come. According to Hugo A. Bedau, the writer of “The Death Penalty in America”, capital punishment is the lawful infliction of the death penalty. The death penalty has been used since ancient times for a variety of offenses. The Bible says that death should be done to anyone who commits murder, larceny, rapes, and burglary. It appears that public debate on the death penalty has changed over the years and is still changing, but there are still some out there who are for the death penalty and will continue to believe that it’s a good punishment. I always hear a lot of people say “an eye for an eye.” Most people feel strongly that if a criminal took the life of another, their’s should be taken away as well, and I don’t see how the death penalty could deter anyone from committing crimes if your going to do the crime then at that moment your not thinking about being on death role. I don’t think they should be put to death they should just sit in a cell for the rest of their life and think about how they destroy other families. A change in views and attitudes about the death penalty are likely attributed to results from social science research. The changes suggest a gradual movement toward the eventual abolition of capital punishment in America (Radelet and Borg, 2000).

    Read More

  • The Ethics of Capital Punishment

    1503 Words  | 4 Pages

    Americans have argued over the death penalty since the early days of our country. In the United States only 38 states have capital punishment statutes. As of year ended in 1999, in Texas, the state had executed 496 prisoners since 1930. The laws in the United States have change drastically in regards to capital punishment. An example of this would be the years from 1968 to 1977 due to the nearly 10 year moratorium. During those years, the Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment violated the Eight Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. However, this ended in 1976, when the Supreme Court reversed the ruling. They stated that the punishment of sentencing one to death does not perpetually infringe the Constitution. Richard Nixon said, “Contrary to the views of some social theorists, I am convinced that the death penalty can be an effective deterrent against specific crimes.”1 Whether the case be morally, monetarily, or just pure disagreement, citizens have argued the benefits of capital punishment. While we may all want murders off the street, the problem we come to face is that is capital punishment being used for vengeance or as a deterrent.

    Read More

  • History of the Death Penalty and Why It Is Not Wrong

    3309 Words  | 7 Pages

    The death penalty has been promoted for thousands of years, for countless crimes committed by humans. The first established death penalty laws date as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon, which codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes. The death penalty was also part of the Fourteenth Century B.C.'s Hittite Code; in the Seventh Century B.C.'s Draconian Code of Athens, which made death the only punishment for all crimes; and in the Fifth Century B.C.'s Roman law of the Twelve Tablets. Death sentences were carried out by such means as crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, and impalement. Now in today’s society the most common methods of execution are; firing squad, hanging, and in recent years: lethal injection which is undeniably more humane than any other form of execution throughout history. The death penalty has been used to protect society from the iniquities that mankind has presented itself. The criminals, rapists, murderers, and sadists, who harm innocent people, should undeniably forfeit their own right to live as Margaret Thatcher has stated. The use of capital punishment is essential to the security of our nation and the justice in which those who are innocent and those who are the victims deserve.

    Read More

  • Religion and the Death Penalty

    2352 Words  | 5 Pages

    The death penalty or some prefer to call it capital punishment has been around since 1608. During the foundation of our country there were twelve death – eligible crimes of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and they were as follows: idolatry, witchcraft, blasphemy, murder, manslaughter, poisoning, bestiality, sodomy, adultery, man stealing , false witness in capital cases and conspiracy & rebellion. While some are absolutely for it and some are absolutely against it there is one factor that comes into play on both sides of the argument and that factor is religion. Many people will state that there is or should be a line between church and state however religion has and will always play a major role in ones conceptual thinking as to what is right and as to what is wrong what is moral and what is immoral. Despite the fact that people would rather think or rationalize without involving religion is nearly impossible. “By virtually any definition, religion involves a central concern with making sense of life and death. The American legal system, rooted in Judeo-Christian ethics, routinely confronts issues that test our basic assumptions about the meaning and sanctity of life and about the role of the State in shaping and sustaining such meanings” (Young,1992).

    Read More

  • An Eye for an Eye: The Death Penalty

    1563 Words  | 4 Pages

    The death penalty has been present, in one way or another, for virtually as long as human civilization has existed. The reasons why are apparent; it is intrinsically logical to human beings that a person who takes the life of another should also be killed. This philosophy is exemplified in the famous Biblical passage, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." However, in light of recent research into ethics, criminology and the justice system, the time has come for us to re-examine our ageless paradigm of revenge. Capital punishment is a custom in which prisoners are executed in accordance with judicial practice when they are convicted of committing a “capital crime.”

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment: The Best Solution

    2375 Words  | 5 Pages

    Capital Punishment is defined as the legal infliction of the death penalty. The death penalty is corporal punishment in its most severe form and is used instead of life long imprisonment. Putting people to death that have committed extremely terrible crimes is an ancient practice, but it has become a very controversial issue in today's society. Capital punishment has been used for centuries, even the Bible contains over thirty stories or incidents about a person put to death for a crime they committed. Public executions stopped after 1936. The death penalty has been inflicted in many different ways. Today in the United States, there are five ways that the death penalty is performed. These criminals are put to death by a lethal injection, electrocution, lynching, a firing squad, or the gas chamber. These punishments are much less severe than the forms of execution in the past. In the past, people were executed by crucifixion, boiling in oil, drawing and quartering, impalement, beheading, burning alive, crushing, tearing, stoning, and even drowning. The methods used today compared to those of history are not meant for torture but instead for punishment for heinous crimes and to rid the earth of these dangerous people. The majority of America supports the death penalty.

    Read More

  • Capital Punishment Persuasive Essay

    1461 Words  | 3 Pages

    Capital punishment has been a controversial topic in association to any person condemned to a serious committed crime. Capital punishment has been a historical punishment for any cruel crime. Issues associated to things such as the different methods used for execution in most states, waste of taxpayers’ money by performing execution, and how it does not serve as any form of justice have been a big argument that raise many eyebrows. Capital punishment is still an active form of deterrence in the United States. The history of the death penalty explains the different statistics about capital punishment and provides credible information as to why the form of punishment should be abolished by every state. It is believed

    Read More

More about The History of Capital Punishment as a Deterrent to Crime

Open Document