Essay Archive - Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment
Capital punishment is the lawful infliction of death as a punishment
and since ancient times it has been used for a wide variety of offences.
The Bible prescribes death(see exodus 21:12 and deuteronomy 22:13) for
murder and many other crimes, including kidnapping and witchcraft. By 1500
in England, only major felonies carried the death penalty - treason,
murder, larceny, burglary, rape, and arson. By 1700, however, Parliament
had enacted many new capital offences, and hundreds of persons were being
put to death each year.
Reform of the death penalty be....
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