Essay on Capital Punishment Must Be Abolished - 4200 Words

The death penalty is not the most effective form of punishment for criminals. The death penalty is hypocritical; it condemns killing by killing people. Many supporters of capital punishment cite retribution as being a justification for the death penalty; however, no matter what the circumstance, murder is never justified. Ghandi once said â€Å"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.† Two wrongs can never make a right. Capital punishment should be abolished because while even though many supporters of the death penalty claim that it prevents crime, there is no evidence that it has been proven to do so. Also, many people support the death penalty because it prevents criminals from ever being allowed back on the streets to commit further†¦show more content†¦In taking a look at these and other reasons, it is clear that the death penalty needs to be abolished. The history of the death penalty dates as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the code of King Hammurabi of Babylon, which made the death penalty a method of punishment for twenty five different crimes (Reggio). In the 14th Century B.C., the Hittite Code also prescribed the death penalty. The death penalty was also used later on during the 7th Century B.C. in the Draconian Code of Athens, but it differed from the Hittite Code in that it made death the penalty for every crime committed (Reggio). In the 5th Century B.C., the Roman Law of the Twelve Tablets also used the death penalty (Reggio). The death penalty was used during this time for crimes ranging from â€Å"publication of libels and insulting songs, the cutting or grazing of crops planted by a farmer, the burning a house or a stack of corn near a house, cheating by a patron of his client, perjury, making disturbances at night in the city, willful murder of a freeman or a parent, or theft by a slave† (Reggio) and was carried out in different ways such as â€Å"crucifixion, drowning at sea, burial alive, beating to death, and impalement† (Reggio). One of the most interesting methods used during this time was by the Romans, who punished the crime of murder of a parent by â€Å"submersing the criminal in water in a sack, which also contained aShow MoreRelated Capital Punishment Must be Abolished Essay1948 Words   |  8 PagesCapital Punishment Must be Abolished Is capital punishment just? The death penalty is a controversial issue for most people. Supporter’s claim that it eliminates repeat offenders, deters potential murderers and is the ultimate retribution. Opponents denounce it as murder, say that it does not cause deterrence but rather promotes violence and claim that it introduces the chance of an innocent person being executed. Due to the arguments presented by both sides and because of my own personalRead MoreEssay about Capital Punishment Must Be Abolished1330 Words   |  6 Pages Capital punishment is used to bring justice to the crimes of murderers in our society, but is it really just? Studies show that the death penalty is cruel, morally wrong, and sometimes painful. It robs the criminal and the public of their humanity and undermines the value of life. The public should come to realize the cruelty of this law, and this form of punishment should be abolished from the governments criminal justice system. 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My argument is that: 1) Capital punishment is not an effective deterrent for heinous crimes. 2) Life imprisonment can be worse of a punishment than death, not as costly as execution, and better for rehabilitation. 3) The innocent canRead MoreArgumentative Essay On Capital Punishment1689 Words   |  7 Pages Abstract Capital punishment is the execution of criminals for the crimes they committed. This paper explores three reasons as to why capital punishment is wrong and should be abolished. One downfall to capital punishment includes the risk of taking an innocent life such as Cameron Todd Willingham who was wrongfully convicted in 1992 and executed in 2004. There is also a risk of having a botched execution. 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In historical data, the first death penalty was imposed to offender who was blamed for magic in 16th century BC Egypt (Regio, 1997). Unfortunately, death penalty is still practiced in some countries. For example, in Egypt recently on 24 March 2014, Minya Criminal Court impose d death penalty to 529 followers of Egyptian ex-president