Death Penalty In The Medieval And The Contemporary Era

One of the many things that has been highly controversial and still is to this very day is how to properly punish and treat criminals. Here in America we now have the Eighth Amendment to protect us from cruel and unusual punishment. This was based off of a Parliament Act of 1689 that created England’s Bill of Rights. Before England had come up with the idea that humans should have guaranteed basic rights, it wasn’t a matter of whether or not a criminal would die, as much as it was a matter of how they would die. Torture devices such as the guillotine, the stake, the brazen bull, and the rack were used to spread the idea of fear and punishment that was ineffectually used by leaders to try and control their people throughout the history of Europe.

Only the most dangerous criminals in the world are faced with society’s ultimate penalty, or at least that is the theory. Capital punishment, commonly referred to as the Death Penalty has been debated for many decades regarding if such a method is ethical. While there are large amounts of supporters for the death penalty as a form of retribution, the process is avoidable financially as taxing for all parties involved. The financial expenses may be better off saved for life imprisonment with an emphasis in restorative justice for victims. Overall, there is unreasonable inefficiency with the capital punishment to justify the taking of another person’s life.

Today in the United States there are thirty two states that use the death penalty and the manner in which it’s implemented is limited to five methods. While the United States is not the only country to still use capital punishment, we will only look at the United States laws, methods, and motivations. This paper will delve into the primary motivations for continued use of capital punishment for crimes while attempting to identify if the desire is to deter, rehabilitate, or a desire for retribution.

Capital punishment has always been a major controversy ever since the Supreme Court ruled it constitutional. Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, became extremely popular as a use of “punishment” for ones illegal actions. The death penalty was first established during 1834 for crimes committed such as “idolatry, witchcraft, blasphemy, murder, manslaughter, poisoning, bestiality, sodomy, adultery, man stealing, and false witness in case rebellion” (Bohm).

Capital punishment or death penalty is usually imposed on persons who committed heinous crimes and are those that endanger the safety of the society. Some countries and societies implement capital punishment while others do not. There are various reasons for this policy of countries, including the social view on the

Death penalty, there is over 50 countries that use that as the capital punishment according to (CAPITAL PUNISHMENT OVER THE YEARS). For centuries it has been used. It was used against individuals who indeed broke or became extreme rebels over societies rule. The history starts from the Middle Ages, they would either be boiled alive, burned or hanged. Public execution has become more popular during the 18th century when kings would allow such inhumane acts of punishment. But at that early time there was an improper development in human society; perhaps not as mature. Live executions would be shown to the public even as a form public participation, this would be almost acted as a form of revelry even as a form of parting. Public execution was question and so it was moved inside the jail which blinded the public view. But who can’t say death can be a cruel act to do against your will or a choice of option and regret? The death penalty was protected in the 18th century because it became a “sanction of God” (CAPITAL PUNISHMENT OVER THE YEARS). Capital punishment can be immoral but only determining on the reasoning behind capital punishment will be acted upon. Individuals don’t always have a conscious that involves the result in consequences after their

While some may argue that execution is the only effective remedy to serious crime, others believe that less cruel punishments like life imprisonment are just as effective forms of justice—if not more effective . Life imprisonment allows a criminal to improve himself by permitting him the chief human right: the right to life. While victims’ families do deserve justice, their loss does not sanction them to decide another person’s fate. Families should appreciate the possibility that a criminal may repent rather than wish vengeance on him. They have no more right to bring harm to a person than the rest of society; revenge is not a valid answer to crime (Cohen 161-170). Even worse than executing those who are actually guilty of a

In the first half of the 19th century, capital punishment came to be regarded as inappropriate for many crimes that it had previously been carried out for, and by the mid-19th century, imprisonment had replaced the death penalty for the most serious offenses except for murder.[9]

Dating back to the Fourteenth Century B.C., the death penalty became a punishment for criminals that committed even minor offenses. These offenses referred to marriage, slaves, and managing livestock. Although it was a punishment during that century, it didn’t become popular until the Eighteenth-Century B.C. when it was the result of twenty-five different crimes. During this time, their methods for the death penalty were the crucifixion, being burned alive, beaten to death, drowned or impaled by anything they thought would torture their victims. Hanging did not become a popular punishment until the Tenth Century A.D. in Britain.

The death penalty has been a controversial topic for a long time, and rightfully deserves to be when a man’s life is in the government’s hand. Although life sentences are the popular alternative, the death penalty is the best solution to heinous crimes because it saves the government money, teaches citizens that they are responsible for their own actions and actually saves lives. Capital punishment has been around since the 18th century B.C., when the code of King Hammurabi of Babylon established death as the penalty for 25 different crimes. The death penalty cannot be seen as “cruel and unusual punishment” since it has been around for so long.

The death penalty has been one of those things in the justice system that has slowly changed as the years have gone by. The death penalty has its pros and cons. There are guilty people who deserve the death penalty and then there are innocent people who get convicted of crimes that they didn’t do. This paper will let you open your eyes to the criminal justice system, specifically to the death penalty.

It is with this understanding of the death penalty’s history that one can start to decide what a valid application (if any) of the death penalty.

Although the death penalty was discarded in most states, many offenders still find themselves on death row for murder convictions. The ultimate goal however is that the punishment and length of sentence fits the crime committed. In the early years of

Gradually, states are abolishing the death penalty, as it has little to no effect on people involved in dangerous crimes. Thirty-nine states enforce the death penalty and nineteen states have abolished; “Personal involvement with the horrible crime of murder renders the academic arguments for or against capital punishment” (Polites). As many studies have shown, the death penalty also has little to no effect on the crime rate in the country. Many questions people answer address whether they are supporters or opponents of the death penalty and whether they believe it is effective to the US. Both these issues have been ongoing debates for many years. Contrary to some thoughts, life imprisonment without parole has had a bigger effect on inmates simply because they suffer from the feeling of guilt. The US benefits because the cost of the death penalty cost three times more than the cost expense of prison.

The death penalty is something few people love. Death penalty involves a myriad of bureaucratic processes given that the judiciary must use long and complicated sessions to ensure no citizen is wrongly executed for the crimes they have not done. However, there are cases where even the innocent persons are not protected from mischievous executions and end up being executed for crimes they did not commit. Most people argue that death penalty is cruel while life imprisonment is inhumane but less cruel. There is also the possibility of parole in case of a life sentence. Apparently, life imprisonment is a better than death penalty given that it costs less, and the money saved can be channeled to some other important programs that improve the life of the citizens. The detention also reduces the possibility of the accused to reverse the mistake. Millions of dollars saved are advantageous in improving schools, infrastructure, police forces, strengthening public programs, improving mental health services, enabling drug treatment, and preventing child abuse. This piece of writing will argue why life imprisonment is better than death penalty.