The death penalty has existed as long as humans have existed. In the middle ages fines, public humiliation and imprisonment were appropriate punishments for all crimes, and death penalty for all murders. Today, Federal law states that the death penalty is to be enforced with convicted criminals for: treason; deserting armed forces during wartime; murder committed by a soldier; kidnapping and murder that involves crossing state lines; murder committed during

an airplane hijacking; and of course, certain types of homicide (Crimes 408). The death penalty is also called for punishment of for: attempting to kill anyone investigating or prosecuting his or her activities; advising, directing, authorizing or assisting in the murder of someone. Also, The Anti-Drug abuse act of 1988 calls for the death penalty for all drugs related killings. Along with that controlled substances act calls for the death penalty or life imprisonment for certain drug offences such as possession of 10 or more kg of heroin, cocaine, phencyclidine or analogue. Even though there are these federal laws requiring the use of the death penalty for the crimes, Most State laws only consider one crime, murder, to be a capital offense (Crimes 405).

There have been many comparisons of crime rates of death penalty states to non- death penalty states. About 64 percent of all the states have the death penalty (World 32). These clea

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