Historical records show that the earliest records of the death penalty can be dated all the way back to 1750 BC in the Code of Hammurabi. From the fall of Rome to the beginning of our modern era, the death penalty was practiced all throughout Western Europe (Bedau, 3). The movement for the
abolition of the death penalty began in the 18th century with the writings of Montesquieo and Voltaire. In Great Britain, Jeremy Bentham was a very influential person who has had the number of capital crimes reduced in the 18th and 19th centuries. Some of the first countries to abolish the Death Penalty included Venezuela in 1863, San Marino in 1865, Costa Rica in 1877 and Portugal in 1867.
There are many reasons for punishment due to extreme crimes. There are revenge, expedition, deterrence and rehabilitation and reformation. Revenge is the most common of them all. Revenge is still a common way for the use of punishment, especially as a senseless crime (Tracy, 3). Expedition is another ancient way for punishing criminals. It’s almost related to vengeance. Expedition however demands for uncalled suffering of the victim. Deterrence is the threat of punishment which prevents criminal activity. Therefore, it will seek to escape the pain that their punishment brings toward them.
Rehabilitation and reformation are one of the more modern ways of punishment. The purpose of these more modern punishments is to help the prison system change for an easier understanding. Punishment was designed to transform criminals into useful members of our society by changing their
attitudes.
The pro side of capital punishment is seen by a lot of people. Some common
reasons for them believing in the death penalty is as follows. The Bible. To
them the Bible requires the death penalty for a wide range of crimes, murder
and homosexual behaviour. Justice and vengeance because many people believe that killing the convicted will satisfy their need to feel safe.
(Lamourie, 8) They now feel safe because if the convicted dies, he or she
will never kill again.
A more wide range of population sees the con side of capital punishment.
Some common reasons for the public to feel this way is the way the capital
punishment has an effect on society
. Capital punishment lowers the value of
a human life and brutalizes our society. The value of a human life is some
thing that has a special meaning to us. Even though a person has murdered
some one, where do we as a community get off killing some one? God made our lives, and He should be the only one to take it away from us.
