The Death Penalty, Then and Now
Dave Rosado
Barry University
PUB 408
Dr. S. Sussman
Abstract
This paper will briefly cover the world history of the use of the death penalty as well as its current use in the United States of America. The paper will discuss the statistics of how often the death penalty is utilized as a sentence for capital crimes as well as the time a convicted person spends awaiting the death penalty to be imposed. This paper will utilize research from published sources. This paper will also review current death penalty issues are the occurring in our court systems today.
As modern societies attempt to both deter and punish criminal activity, a deeply debated issue is the use of the death penalty as a possible sentence for certain crimes. This punishment has been debated amongst a diverse population not only in the United States of America but, throughout the world. Many countries allow the death penalty while others frown upon it. Today, 32 states have statutes authorizing a death penalty sentence for limited capital crimes.
To first understand the concept of the death penalty, one must first understand the history behind the death penalty. The death penalty can trace its origins to biblical times in Babylon. The Code of King Hammurabi allowed a death penalty sentence for people convicted of 25 different crimes. The death penalty can also be found in the Hittite Code for the Fourteenth Century B.C., as well as
Death penalty dates back to the 1700's B.C. The first document to contain laws on the death penalty was known as the Code of Hammurabi. This document was written in ancient Babylon which is now modern day Iraq and consisted over 250 laws. These laws mentioned twenty five crimes which were deemed punishable by death and committing a murder was not a part of it.
The use of capital punishment in the U.S. is a growing concern for most American citizens. According to statistics, seventy percent of Americans are in support of the death penalty, while only thirty percent are against it. These statistics show that few people are against capital punishment (“Fact” 1). With the use of the death penalty growing the controversy is becoming more heated. With only twelve states left not enforcing it the resistance is becoming futile (“Fact” 4). Many debates have been made and even clauses have been invoked, such as, the “Cruel and Unusual Clause” that was invoked by the Supreme Court in 1962 (Meltsner 179). The use of death as a punishment has been viewed as “cruel
Capital punishment, also known as a death penalty, it has been around quite a while, longer than most of us would think. A death penalty used to be the only justice for almost all crime back in the seventh century B.C and it is call Draconian Code of Athens. However, there are so many centuries that practice death penalty. However, it was during the eighteenth century B.C when the king of Hammurabi of Babylon established the first death penalty laws also known as the Code of Hammurabi (an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth; meaning the same amount of punishment to the offender as he or she acted on behave
This paper will discuss the Death Penalty. It analyzes the effectiveness of the death penalty. It covers the history of the death penalty as our nation shifts through various eras in its history, as well as the historical background of the death penalty in New York. It considers all factors such as crime rates, deterrence, the rights of the people, and consequences of the death penalty. Analogies were made of areas all over the country as to what degree the death penalty effects crime all around. It concludes this paper by reflecting on the information provided of the death penalty and provide an alternative to it.
The death penalty, or capital punishment, has always been a topic of much debate in the United States. There are those who support it and those who oppose it, and each side has their fair share of points being made, backed by supportive evidence. The topics range from the morality of this punishment, including the methods of execution as well as fairness issues in regards to sex and race. The first issue that will be addressed is in regards to the death penalty working to prevent violent crimes.
A brief history of the death penalty is in order so that one can be aware of this laws nature since that is how one would start to
The United States has a long history with the death penalty. Every perspective of the death has been argued, from the religious aspect of the government playing “God” to the death penalty being a solid form of crime deterrence and everything in between. This paper will show the death penalty is an outdated form of punishment and an expense that cannot be justified due to the lack of crime deterrence.
This source has important information about the death penalty. It uses graphs and charts to show the numbers and statistics regarding the death penalty. It shows the number of executions each year since 1976, the racial percentages of people who were executed and of their victims, and many more important numbers regarding the death penalty. These numbers can be used to closely examine different aspects of the death penalty.
The earliest historical record of the death penalty otherwise known as capital punishment goes back as far as the eighteenth century B.C., when the code of King Hammurabi of Babylon listed 25 crimes which were punishable by death. Since then, the uses of the death penalty have prevailed throughout the ages in laws and justice systems of different civilizations. For instance, the Draconian Code of Athens punishes all crimes with the death penalty. During those times, the death penalty involved suffering a gruesome death such as being burnt alive, impaling, crucifixion and stoning (Death Penalty Information Center, 2011).
The death penalty has been a huge part of many political debates for decades. Most citizens of the Unite States believe there are two sides, those for and those against its continued use. Those for, tend to believe that it is necessary to keep these criminals out of society and that it deters crime, while those against tend to believe that the practice is medieval and unethical in society today. With a controversial topic like the death penalty, it is important to determine why this controversy exists and if there is a possible solution. The focus at hand is whether or not the United States Government should continue its use of the death penalty and how this answer could be implemented.
From bank robbers to assassins to mass murders, the death penalty accepts no excuse. The death penalty in America is a systematic justice for horrendous criminals and felons, punishing those only who commit the worst crimes humanly imaginable. Though it is argued that it is inhumane and overused, the death penalty doesn't only deter future criminals, gives closure for victim's families, and is a humane way of getting rid of criminals in a just and swift way, but it shows aspiring criminals and convicted convicts of how America deals with extreme villains in society.
The death penalty has been a way of executing prisoners who commit heinous crimes. This means of trial by death has been around for a long time, even dating back to 1608, when Captain George Kendall became the first to be executed by hanging, ultimately establishing the death penalty (Death penalty throughout, 2016). Many people are in favor of the death penalty but many others are not. This paper will describe the positive effects of this penalty and how it is a better way of handling prisoners who committed heinous acts of crime and violence. One reason why using the death penalty is a good way of handling criminals is simply, it is easier to execute the criminal, than to keep him in a cozy jail cell for the rest of his life and to keep spending money on feeding them and housing them.
The issue of the death penalty has been of great concern and debate for a number of years now. Prior to 1976, the death penalty was banned in the United States. In 1976, though, the ban was lifted, and many states adopted the death penalty in their constitutions. Currently, there are 38 states that use the death penalty, and only 12 states that do not. The states that have the death penalty use a number of ways to go about executing the defendant. Thirty-two states use lethal injection, 10 use electrocution, 6 use the gas chamber, 2 use hanging, and 2 states use a firing squad (Death Penalty Information Center, 1997). The 12 states that do not have the death penalty are Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
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 (Code of Hammurabi). 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 (History of The Death Penalty).
Controversies surrounding death penalty have elucidated various reactions from different quarters for or against it. Those that support the death penalty argue that it has higher rewards compared to other methods of punishment for grand offenses like sexual assault, robbery with violence or even murder. The reason death penalty is an incredible alternative is because it is less costly, it is legal, provides justice for the family of victims and serves as a deterrent for other individuals who would be considering engaging in similar unlawful activities. This paper will offer a detailed explanation why the death penalty is a better alternative to punishing crime in the US.