Capital punishment is a legal infliction of the death penalty. Capital
             punishment is obviously the most severe form of criminal punishment
             (Encarta). Capital punishment is a highly controversial and emotional way of
             dealing with violent criminals (Vila 25). The main alternative to the death
             penalty is long-term or life imprisonment (Encarta). Capital punishment has
             been around for thousands of years as a means of eradicating criminals. A
             giant debate started between the people for or against the execution. The
             earliest arguments both for and against capital punishment were taken
             directly from the Bible (Vila 25). The supporters claim that if you take a
             life you should pay with your life or an eye for an eye. The people against
             the death penalty bring up a chance of sentencing the innocent and how the
             The first evidence of capital punishment was mentioned in the Code of
             Hammurabi in 1750 B.C. (Encarta). The Bible mentions death as the penalty
             for more than thirty different crimes. For example, "Whoever strikes a
             man so that he dies shall be put to death," is an example of murder
             (Bible Exodus 21:12). The Bible also suggests stoning a woman for having sex
             if not married and "wrought folly on Israel by playing the harlot in
             her father's house" (Bible Deuteronomy 22:21).
             England recognized seven major crimes that were called for execution by the
             end of the fifteenth century. These crimes were treason (grand and petty),
             murder, larceny, burglary, rape, and arson. As time went by more and more
             crimes were believed to deserve the death penalty. By 1800, more than 200
             crimes were recognized, and as a result, 1000 or more persons were sentenced
             to death each year. In American colonies before the Revolution, the death
             penalty was commonly authorized for a wide variety of crimes. Blacks,
             whether they were free or slave, were threatened by the death penalty for
             many crim...