today. It is an effective deterent of crime as well as a safeguard for

society. It also helps to keep order in our cities. Furthermore, I fell it

is a just and effective punishment for those who have commited crimes heinous

The death penalty is not a new idea in our world. Its origins date back over

3,700 years to the Babylonian civilization, where it was prescribed for a

variety of crimes. (Capital Punishment p.10). It was also greatly used in the

Greek and Roman empires. It continued into England during the Middle Ages,

and then to the American colonies where it exists still today. In the

colonies, death was a prescribed punishment for crimes such as: murder, rape,

arson, and perjury. In America today, the main crime deserving death is

obviously murder. (Capital Punishment p.11-15).

Does the death penalty truly deter crimes and murder? This question is at

the heart of a heated political controversy over the punishment. Opposers to

the death penalty say no because of the large amount of people on death row

today. They also say that states that have the death penalty have a higher

over 50% of all blacks favor the death penalty. (JET Magazine). According to

murderer, and it is this fear of punishment which protects society.^Ô(The Death

that the crime was an exception to his general character rather than a

given to us by God and it is not up to us to decide if a person should die.

that human life is sacred and that its sacredness must be enforced by

somewhat contributes to the problem. (http://www.rit.edu/~wwl2461/cp.html). I

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Approximate Word count = 1006
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)