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Capttol Punishment. The Death Penalty Capital punishment is not a new concept
to society. Both the Greeks and the Romans used the ...
Submitted by jamey on July 31, 2005
Category: Social Issues
Words: 2072 | Pages: 9
Views: 167
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The Death Penalty
Capital punishment is not a new concept to society. Both the Greeks and the Romans used the death penalty for a variety of offenses, from murder all the way down to petty theft. Socrates and Jesus are probably the most famous people ever killed for a crime in the ancient period. Hammurabi, a king of ancient Babylonia, made a code of laws that dates back from the second or third millennium before Christ. This code claimed that "an eye for an eye and a life for a life" was justice. Romans 13 in the Bible implies that it is the responsibility of those who God has appointed in charge to punish offenders for the sake of preserving social order for all of the people. In 1972 the case of Furman vs. Georgia declared that the death penalty was unconstitutional and that it violated the Eighth amendment, stating that it was cruel and unusual punishment, of course, the only methods of execution at the time were hanging, electrocution, and facing a firing squad. It was argued that these methods were too slow and painful. Thomas Edison, a historical genius and respected inventor, assisted in developing electric chair and promoted it heavily. As a result, the electric chair was a popular method of execution from the 1930s to the 1970s. Until 1972, Capital punishment was legal. Then, in 1976 the U.S. Supreme Court reversed this decision in the Gregg vs. Georgia case. A "cleaner" way to bring about death was then found in lethal injection, this method is quick and painless if administered correctly. Though once again legalized, it did not allow for the death penalty to be mandatory for murder cases in those states that requested it. Mandatory death penalty punishments for murder would have ensured consistency in rulings; which was an argument at the time, however it did not leave room for juries to weigh in "mitigating factors" such as abuse, insanity or crimes of passion. Though legal throughout the United States at the federal...
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