The History of Capital Punishment

The History of Capital Punishment

Crime has been a plague on society from ancient times to present. In response to

this plague, society has formed structured rules to deal with the perpetrators of crime. A

crime can be defined as act that society’s government deems as illegal. Different societies have formed various methods and standards for evaluating crime and assigning

corresponding punishment. What constitutes a crime has changed throughout the course

of history. In ancient times, such extreme actions as the deliberate killing of another

human being for the sake of family honor or religious rite was considered socially

acceptable and therefore not legally wrong. Now, the majority of the modern world (with

perhaps the exclusion of some Middle Eastern sects) view the deliberate killing of another

human being as non-socially acceptable, and therefore legally wrong. The overall

exceptions to this rule are the taking of human life in the act of war and in punishment for extreme crime(s) against humanity.

Punishment for crime has ranged from mild, in the form of fines, or incarceration,

to severe, in the form of physical torture or death. In ancient times, punishment for

serious crimes such as treason, theft, or murder was frequently severe and inhumane.

Offenders were often tortured for hours to be either left to die a slow and painful death or be executed publicly. The use of the death penality has declined throught out the

industrial Western world since the 19th century.

The concept of confinement for punishment dates back to ancient times.

Imprisonment is generally a milder form of punishment which removes an individual from

society and confines him/her in an institution with other offenders. Examples of historical places of confinement are London’s Tower and Paris’s Bastille. The Tower and Bastille were used to confine political prisoners, not criminals in the ordinary sense. The common jail has existed since approximately 1166, when King Henry II of England ordered places of confinement for criminals built. Jails mainly served the purpose for prisoners awaiting trial, while also holding unfortunate petty offenders such as beggars, vagrants, and debtors. The purpose for places of confinement remained the same until the development of the American prison system. The purpose of the American prison system posed a t...

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... person recieving punishment, and (4) the death penalty lowers the goverment to the same level as the criminal.

All prudent people have concern for the sanctity of human life. No one enjoys

having to be responsible for sentencing a person to death no matter what crime they have

committed. However, as President George W. Bush recently said, “There are evil people

in the world and we must respond appropriately.” Basically, what he is means is that there

must be just and direct punishment for evil and heinous crimes. Therefore, capital

punishment is and can be a deterrent for crimes of serious nature against individuals and

society. This is an attempt to punish some and deter others. For certain, those sentenced

to death will no longer be a threat to society.

Works Cited

McCuen, Gary E. “Reviving the Death Penalty” Copyright : 1985 Gary E. McCuen

Publications

Wekesser,Carrol - editor “The Death Penalty” Copyright: 1991 Greenhaven Press, Inc.

Abelson & Friquegnon - editor “Ethics for Modern Life” Copyright: 1995 St. Martin’s

Press, Inc

Zimring, Franklin E. - The World Book Encyclopedia - “Capital Punishment” p. 193

Copyright: 1993 World Book, Inc