Essay/Term paper: Capital punishment 3

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Persuasive Essays

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 feel as if they are
doing something religious. In the use of the death penalty
the concern of executing the innocent remains abroad.
The death penalty has also been known for being used in
unfair ways. For instance, women are rarely sentenced to
death, although twenty percent of homicides are committed
by women. Also, an inappropriate number of non-whites
have been executed. In the 20th century, when the death
penalty was used for rape, no white men were executed
for raping a non-white women whereas most black offenders
who raped white women were executed.
As a person against capital punishment, I feel more
thought should be placed on a matter that involves taking
someone"s life. In my mind and the mind of many others
the death penalty will always remain defined as "disciplinary"
execution.