Capital Punishment Essay: An End To The Death Penalty

The death penalty goes far back into history, across many different civilizations, and many different cultures. It has been around since the beginnings of colonial America, and was very different compared to todays standards. “In colonial America, criminals

A question to ask regarding capital punishment in the United States is not about the deserving nature of an individual's punishment for their crime, but instead if, as a society, we deserve to take the responsibility of ending someone's life. Nobody should ever be given the accountability for another person's existence. Taking someone's last breaths is not justice. Killing someone is the easiest way out. They should remain for the rest of their lives contemplating their deeds and how they ruined their own lives.

Should America continue to allow the death penalty? This essay will tell you why America should not be continue the death penalty. For starters, the death penalty is punishment by death; usually resulting after a crime that America calls capital crimes or capital offences. There are many of reasons why the death penalty should not be carried out in America or anywhere “Application of the death penalty tends to be arbitrary and capricious; for similar crimes, some are sentenced to death while others are not.”

The Death Penalty also referred to as Capital Punishment has been around for a long time. According to the textbook Intro to Administration of Justice when the “first Europeans settlers came to the Americas, they brought with them the legal system of their native country which included the penalty of death...” (Bohm, 2014). The first ever recorded execution in the United States was George Kendall in 1608 for being a spy for Spain. Since 1608, there have been about 20,000 legal executions in the US.

From the beginning of the foundation of America, men have tried to figure out the correct way to deal with law-opposing criminals. From crucifixion and slavery, to death by firing squad and life sentences, the world has utilized different forms of discipline. The death penalty has formed into the most questionable form of punishment, drawing the most attention from the public eye. This sanction is used to punish criminals for committing the most heinous crimes and offenses. The crimes that obtain the death penalty mostly consist of murder which include murder during a kidnapping, murder for hire, drug-related drive by shooting, and genocide.

The death penalty was also used quite rampantly and was instituted in cases ranging from theft and fraud to rape and adultery. While many of the punishments may seem archaic and crude by modern standards, these laws did do their part in guiding the people towards acting in the interest of the community at large and striving towards a peaceful life. (Code of

The Death of Capital Punishment Should we put capital punishment to death? Capital punishment has been used as far back as the eighteenth-century B.C. The death penalty has spread from Great Britain to the States during the American Revolution, where it has brought a whole slew of problems and despair across the country. Capital punishment may seem to be the solution to heinous criminals, but it should be abolished due to the extensive costs, the fact that it is a form of cruel and unusual punishment, and the tremendous emotional stress on everyone involved.

Deadly Justice For most of recorded history, the death penalty has been regarded as a barbaric and brutal form of punishment. The United States Federal Government should outlaw the use of the death penalty. Eliminating the death penalty is justified because it does not deter crime; it generates higher expenses, violates human rights, and puts innocent lives at risk. Death penalty does not prevent crime; delinquency rates are usually higher in states with the death penalty.

To willingly take another’s life is morally contradictory to what is trying to be fulfilled. Any society that executes criminals is committing the same violence it condemns. Being subjected to scheduled death violates human rights and undermines the natural occurrences of life and death. In spite of a person being a criminal, their life is sacred and deserves dignity. At no point should another human have full control over whether someone should live or die.

It was because of these past societies that Britain had the death penalty and it was because of Britain that we have the death penalty here in America today. When the early European settlers came to the new world, these people brought the practice of capital punishment. The first person to have an actual recorded execution was a man named Captain George Kendall. It was 1608 in the Jamestown colony of Virginia. Kendall was thought to be a spy for spain at the time.

I agree that the death penalty is inhumane and should be abolished; no one deserves to be killed, even those who have killed. However, I also feel that the death penalty solves nothing because all the government or state does is end the person’s life. This means they don’t get to learn from what they have done; they don’t receive punishment. It is better that the prisoner be sentenced to life so that they could ‘feel’ dead, but still have to live in a confined space for the rest of their lives, thinking about what got them there in the first place. That to me, is a real death penalty.

Capital punishment, or better known as the death penalty, is defined as the legal authorization to kill someone as punishment for a crime. This form of penalty has been present for a long period of time, dating back its origins to the 18th century BC under the Code of King Hammurabi in ancient Mesopotamia. Along its history, murder as a form of chastisement is a noticeable characteristic in ancient cultures. It was implemented in the Hittite Code, Draconian Code of Athens, Roman Law of Twelve-tablets, Mosaic Law, etc. and all presented violent and cruel forms of execution. These methods reflect a primitive way of resolving conflicts for a broken law, but today we live in a civilized world where respecting human rights is as important as determining a lawful sentence.

Though people argue to keep capital punishment around, it has little benefits and can be considered an act of revenge. Capital punishment can be traced back as far as ancient times. The death penalty is found in the Code of Hammurabi during the time of ancient Mesopotamia which

, that’s when the penalty was established. In the eleventh century  A.D. William the Conqueror wouldn’t allow anyone to be hung except in cases of murder. In 1608 Captain George Kendall became the first recorded executionist in the New Colonies. The Death Penalty originated as far back as the Ancient Laws of China and it still exists today. It’s sad to think about all of the lives that have been taken.

Capital punishment is the legal sanction of killing someone punishable for a crime. It is also referred to as the death penalty. People often receive this punishment for committing murder. Treason, drug offenses, and espionage can also be subjected to the death penalty. As mentioned in Understanding Social Problems, “In 2014, 22 countries carried out 607 executions excluding the thousands of people who are thought to have been executed in China (Mooney, 133).