Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment or the death penalty is the sentence of death upon a person for punishment for a crime. These crimes are known as capital crime or capital offenses. It has been apart of criminal history forever and is one of the biggest debates in America today. There are both pros and cons to the debate of whether or not Capital Punishment should be allowed. Are there crimes that are bad enough for the punishment to be death?

The death penalty has been used ever since the beginning of time. The first established death penalty laws go as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon, which used the death penalty for 25 different crimes. The usual means of the death sentences were carried out by stoning, crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, and decapitation. Early American criminal laws were based on Britain laws. During the 1600's crimes such as stealing grapes, killing chickens, and trading with Indians were capital crimes. Up until 1834, executions took place in public. In 1834, Pennsylvania was the first state to move its executions to correctional facilities. In 1846, Michigan was the first state to abolish the death penalty for all crimes except treason. Rhode Island and Wisconsin soon followed. Although states were abolishing capital punishment, some of them still hung onto it. They began adding capital crimes, especially crimes that were committed by a slave. After the Civil War, new developments emerged, including the electric chair which was introduced at the end of the 19th century. In 1924, the use of cyanide gas was introduced, as Nevada sought a more humane way of executing its inmates. Shortly after this the gas chamber was introduced. Today, lethal injection is used the most but some states still us the electric chair and Utah is the only state that has recently used the firing squad.

There are many different pros to having capital punishment. One of those is it could be used as a way to deter people away from committing such crimes that could get them the death penalty. They would refrain from committing these crimes because of the fear of losing their life. Another pro to having the death penalty is if a criminal, such a serial killer or a repeat offender of a crime, is released from prison they could be a threat to the rest of society because they could harm others. If they are sentenced to death then they will no longer be a threat to others. Capital punishment can be seen as revenge for the family and friends of the victims. Sentencing a criminal to death can give relief to the family members of the victim. Having capital punishment can also help with the overcrowding of prisons. The longer criminals that committed capital crimes are on death row, the more and more prisons will become overcrowded. Another pro to capital punishment is that death could for some people be a better way out then living in prison for the rest of their life. Living with the guilt