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, …showed first 75 words of 417 total…

…showed last 75 words of 417 total…crime statistics will immediately dispel the myth that the death penalty deters crime. Murder rates are climbing almost every year and executions are rising. Does this appear to be a drop in crime? The death penalty is not stopping criminals, but maybe the thought of dying of old age in a 8 by 8 foot concrete cell might. Maybe nothing will deter murders since one would have to be incompetent to commit one in the first place.