Death Penalty

The Death Penalty

I am a strong advocate for the death penalty. I truly believe that if you take a person's life you should pay for it with your own life. During the commission of a crime if someone is killed or wants to exact revenge on someone else because that person did something that was morally or ethically wrong, then the killer should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. If that means sentencing him or her to the death penalty, then so be it.

The death penalty dates back to before recorded history, following primitive tribal practices as part of the communal justice system. Originally, most crimes in a communal setting were dealt with as a crime against the community as a whole. The response to crime committed by neighboring tribes or communities included formal apology, compensation, or bloody feuds. Peter Waldmann said, "Acts of retaliation underscore the ability of the social collective to defend it and demonstrate to enemies (as well as potential allies) that injury to property, rights, or the person will not go unpunished." Historically, executions were public events, attended by large crowds, and the mutilated bodies were on display until they rotted. Public executions were banned in England in 1868, even though they continued in the United States until the 1930s. In the last half of the 20th century, there was considerable debate regarding whether executions should be broadcast on television, as has occurred in Guatemala. In some countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria, the practice of public executions have taken place. These actions have been condemned by the United Nations Human Rights Committee and have been called "incompatible with human dignity."

The death penalty in the United States has been around since the Eighteenth Century B.C. when the first laws were established. In 1608, Captain George Kendall was the first person executed for being a spy for Spain. In 1612, Virginia Governor Sir Thomas Dale enacted