Compare And Contrast Capital Punishment And Life In Prison

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Recommended: The death penalty effective position paper

Title: Death penalty versus Life in Prison

The purpose of this project will aim to discuss the different methods utilised in death sentences throughout the world. This literature based review will analyse the effectiveness of using the death penalty, whether it acts as a deterrent against crime or simply violates the rights to human life. With 98 countries that have abolished the death penalty, life imprisonment has been imposed as a replacement. This project will compare and contrast the imprisonment of an individual for a life sentence, including sentence length and the natural life of an individual against the use of death penalty.
Objectives: This study will aim to answer questions regarding the death penalty and life imprisonment:
• 1. History of the death penalty- What are the forms of execution used and what crimes were made punishable for this sanction?
• 2. The …show more content…

In the 7th century B.C the ancient Athenian legal system used the Draconian laws which set the death penalty as a punishment for all crimes.The sanctions carried out included; burning convicts alive, crucifying, impalement and drowning, to those found guilty (Kudlac,2007). Draco’s laws of Ancient Athens were soon deemed merciless by implementing such unforgiving punishments to a wide variety of offences thus changes to the death penalty would soon be implemented. By the 18th century B.C King Hammurabi of Babylon established a formal code which set the death penalty as a result for twenty five crimes which ironically did not include murder (Newbold,1999). This was recognised as one of the earliest recorded codes of law which has evolved and moulded our principles of authority which govern the world today (Charpin and Todd, 2010). Cultural factors have also led to historical changes towards the death

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