Capital punishment is the legal infliction the death penalty
It is obviously the most severe form of criminal punishment. (Bedau1) Capital punishment is a controversial way of dealing with violent criminals. The main alternative to the death penalty is life in prison. Capital punishment has been around for thousands of years as a means of eradicating criminals.
The supporters claim that if you take a life you should pay with your life or "an eye for an eye". Opposers of the death penalty bring up the chance of sentencing the innocent and how the death penalty is inhumane.
The Bible mentions that execution should be used for many crimes. (Bedau1) One example of the death penalty in the bible is "Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death." (Exodus 21:12).
Supporters of the death penalty rationalize executing because if a man takes a life he should pay for it with his own or "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." They also use verses from the Bible like, "Whosoever sheds a man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed" (Genesis 9:6), and Exodus 21:12 to show that Christianity supports it. They claim that executions deter other criminals from killing in fear of being executed.
Those who oppose the death penalty have come up with many reasons that life in prison without parole, or LWOP, is a better means of dealing with violent criminals. One reason is the risk of executing the innocent. (Bedau1) This risk is very small considering that since 1900 only 23 people, who were possibly innocent, were executed.
Wealth and fame take a pivotal part in the trial of a defendant. Poor defendants are give court-appointed lawyers; however, rich and famous defendants can afford fancy lawyers.
Currently the only accepted means of execution are: electrocution, the gas chamber, firing squad and lethal injection.
The electric chair was introduced in New York in 1890 .The criminal is seated in a chair. Electrodes are ...