Capital Punishment, there has been many controversies in the history of the United States, ranging from abortion to gun control, but capital punishment has been one of the most hotly contested issues in recent decades. Capital punishment is the legal infliction of the death penalty on persons convicted of a crime. It is not intended to inflict any physical pain or any torture; it is only another form of punishment. It is irrevocable because it removes those punished from society permanently, instead of temporarily imprisoning them. The usual alternative to the death penalty is life-long imprisonment. This paper was written not to take a stand on either side of capital punishment however, to provide the reader with statistical and constitutional information so one can make an informed decision. Too often society makes impulsive conclusions of what is right and what is wrong. One may take a stand on the 2nd Amendment and state that the government should not take away the right to bear arms. On the other hand that same person may decide that the 8th Amendment protects ones right not to suffer the death penalty due to cruel and unusual punishment. We have to remember that the laws of America was formed by the framers of the constitution to be a living law ever changing with todays values as society deems correct. Capital punishment is a method of retributive punishment as old as civilization itself. The death penalty has been imposed throughout history for many crimes, ranging from blasphemy and treason to petty theft and murder. Many ancient societies accepted the idea that certain crimes deserved capital punishment. Ancient Roman and Mosaic law endorsed the notion of retaliation; they believed in the rule of "an eye for an eye." Similarly, the ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, and Greeks all executed citizens for a variety of crimes. The most famous people to be executed are Socrates and Jesus. Only in England, during the reign...
