Flaws of the Death Penalty 2

system since the earliest of times. The Babylonian Hammurabi Code(ca.

1700 B.C.) decreed death for crimes as minor as the fraudulent sale of

beer(Flanders 3). Egyptians could be put to death for disclosing the

location of sacred burial sites(Flanders 3). However, in recent times

opponents have shown the death penalty to be racist, barbaric, and in

violation with the United States Constitution as "...cruel and unusual

punishment." In this country,although laws governing the application

of the death penalty have undergone many changes since biblical

times, the punishment endures, and controversy has never been greater.

A prisoner's death wish cannot grant a right not otherwise

possessed. Abolitionists maintain that the state has no right to kill

anyone. The right to reject life imprisonment and choose death should

be respected, but it changes nothing for those who oppose the death at

The death penalty is irrational- a fact that should carry

considerable weight with rationalists. As Albert Camus pointed out, "

Capital punishment....has always been a religious punishment and is

. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1238
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)