The Death Penalty Issue: Abstract, Introduction, History

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The Death Penalty
Abstract
The death penalty issue raises divided opinions across members of the society. Although its proponents and opponents aim for a better society, they are not in agreement when it comes to the death penalty as a way of stopping crimes. This paper examines the issue of the death penalty with a major focus on its use in the US. Its history dates back to 18th century BC. In the US, the death penalty was brought up the British Colonialists. In the 1960s, the efforts of interest groups had a significant impact on the laws relating to the death penalty in the US. As shown in this paper, Amnesty International is one of the organizations that is concerning with bring the death penalty to an end in all countries of the world. The execution methods include electrocution, hanging, beheading, lethal injection, and shooting in the head by firing squad. Racial discrimination is an aspect that characterizes death penalty in the US.
Introduction
The death penalty is an issue that has raised divided opinions, particularly in the contemporary world. The death penalty is the intentional killing of a human being who has been found guilty of committing a particular crime (Herrmann 3). After a trial has been conducted, one may be sentenced to death in the case they are found guilty. The way the person is put to death depends on the country as well as the laws in place. While in the past the death penalty was normal, it is a contested issue in the current world because of the advancement of the justice system and the instruments of administering justice. Both the opponents and proponents of death share the desire of protecting the society and punishing criminal behavior. For the proponents, they consider death penalty a deterrent, something that will put an end to crime. Many of the proponents believe that the victim of the crime attains most justice through death penalty (Walker 11). On the other hand, the opponents consider the death penalty as an ineffective way of stopping crime. For them, there exist better ways of punishing crime and keeping the society safee (Walker 11). As seen, the issue of death penalty raises divided opinions. The death penalty is currently applicable in 31 states in the US and is authorized by the military and the US government (National Council of State Legislatures [NCSL]). Recently, the states of Illinois, New Mexico, Maryland, and Connecticut have abolished the death penalty and have replaced it with life imprisonment without parole. As such, new developments in regards to death penalty continue to emerge.
History
As informed by the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), the first laws to be established regarding death penalty happened as early as 18th century BC in Babylon Hammurabi’s King’s Code. In the laws, twenty-five crimes were codified for the death penalty (DPIC). In the 14th century BC, it was part of the Hittite Code while in the 7th century BC, it was part of Athens’ Draconian Code (DPIC). In the 10th century AD, execution by hanging was commonly practiced in Britain (DPIC). In the year that followed, execution was abolished by William the Conqueror except only during war times. However, under the reign of King Henry VIII in the 16th century, around 72,000 people are estimated to have faced execution (DPIC). During this time, the common methods of execution included beheading, boiling, burning, and quartering (DPIC). Therefore, it is evident that the practice of death penalty began a long time ago and it has characterized human history significantly.
In America, the death penalty was influenced by Britain. As informed by Banner, the English Colonists of the 17th and 18th centuries originated from a country in which death penalty was the punishment for crimes such as manslaughter, treason, murder, burglary, arson, theft, counterfeiting, and rape (5). According to the author, even the supporters of capital punishment in the contemporary world would recoil at the thought of executing counterfeiters or thieves (6). As seen, significant developments have occurred in relation to the death penalty. While death penalty was the norm in the past, it is today applied only in the gravest of crimes. The practice of death penalty in the US was thus influenced by European settlers. The first person to face the death penalty in the US was Captain George Kendall in Jamestown in 1608 (Walker 11). He faced execution for being a spy. The governor of Virginia in 1612 signed laws that allowed the death penalty for small offenses such as killing chickens, stealing fruits, and engaging in trade with Native Americans. The abolitionist movement had a significant influence on the death penalty laws in the 18th and 19th centuries. A 1767 essay by Cesare Beccaria impacted greatly the debate about death penalty throughout the world as the author argued that the state was not justified to take one’s life (DPIC). The abolitionist movement influenced the laws of states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan as the death penalty was abolished for all crimes except major ones such as treason and first-degree murder. Between 1907 and 1917, there were six states that outrightly abolished death penalty while three others limited it to crimes that were rarely committed such as first-degree murder and treason.
There was a significant attack on the death penalty in the 1960s that shaped its course in the decade that followed. The courts and legal processes in the US shaped the political debate relating to the death penalty. There was a rise of anti-death penalty in the US in the mid-1960s that sought to bring an end to the punishment (Sarat and Martschukat 294). Interest groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Legal and Education Defense Fund (LDF) came together to challenge...