The practice of capital punishment is as old as government itself. For most of history, it has not been considered controversial. Since ancient times most governments have punished a wide variety of crimes by death and have conducted executions as a routine part of the administration of criminal law. However, in the mid-18th century, social commentators in Europe began to emphasize the worth of the individual and to criticize government practices they considered unjust, including capital punishment. The controversy and debate over whether governments should utilize the death penalty today.

The only moral justification for killing a person is direct self-defense. When a criminal is confined in prison, he does not threaten society, so killing him is not justified by self defense. An

Although racial disparities in the application of the death penalty among the states have long been documented, a new study by the U.S. Department of Justice found dramatic racial and geographic imbalances in the administration of the federal death penalty as well. The study found, for example, that 80% of federal defendents who faced capital charges, and 74% of convicted defendants for whom prosecutors recommended the death penalty, were members of minorities. The study increased public concern that race plays an impermissible role in death penalty decisions.

Time, is a threat to other persons, and this precludes taking human life just for punishment.

Surveys in the US and Canada regularly show that a sizeable majority of adults are in favor of the death penalty for convicted murderers. Depending upon the exact question asked, 65 to 80% of adults are in favor of the death penalty. In 1984, individuals who give greatest support to capital punishment were found to be older, white, male, rich, urban dwellers, politically independent, and religious believers. The numbers appear to increase when people perceive the crime rate as increasing.

The first significant movement to abolish the death penalty began during the era known as the age of enlightenment. Critics of capital punishment contend that it is brutal and degrading, while supporters consider it a necessary form of retribution for terrible crimes. Early opponents of capital punishment argued that inflicting death was not necessary to control crime and properly punish wrongdoers. Instead, alternative punishment such as imprisonment could effectively isolate criminals from the community, deter other potential offenders from committing offenses, and express the community's condemnation of those who break its laws. In his essay on crimes and punishments Beccaria asserted that the certainty of punishment, rather than its severity, was a more effective deterrent.

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