Introduction
Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines capital punishment, otherwise known as the death penalty, as the practice of killing people as punishment for serious crimes. Capital punishment dates back to the early eighteenth century B.C. in Hammurabi's Code (“History of Death Penalty Laws”). The death penalty can also be found in the Hittite Code in the fourteenth century B.C. , the Draconian Code of Athens in the seventh century B.C., and the Roman Law of the Twelve Tablets in fifth century B.C. (Reggie). The death penalty has been in used in many different places for a very long time and recently many people have questioned the effectiveness of this form of deterrent, but the real question is, “Has capital punishment ever been effective?” Although it has been used throughout these thousands and thousands of years, its biggest criticism throughout time has been its effectiveness to prevent the very crimes it punishes. In closer history, however, the rules surrounding capital punishment have been under strict criticism from a multitude of sources. Early Capital Punishment …show more content…
In closer history, however, the rules surrounding capital punishment have been under strict criticism from a multitude of sources. Those sources include, Supreme Court Judges, law enforcement, and the very citizens theses laws are supposed to protect. With this many criticisms and red flags, can we really trust capital punishment to be a modern form of an ancient punishment or is our society just reverting back to its “eye for an eye”