‘An eye for an eye,’ this has been one of the most straightforward concepts for dealing with law-breaking ever since the beginning of documented history. Capital punishment, otherwise known as death penalty first came into existence as early as the fifth century in Ancient Rome with regards to their legal system known as the ‘Roman Law.’ This was engraved into tablets and consists of twelve rules, many of which had included capital punishment; however, the most recognized establishments for it was the Steele of Hammurabi, discovered in the eighteenth century with a depiction of three hundred laws on its lower portion. Notably, it was the Europeans who brought the practice of death penalty to the new world and it was not long until America became …show more content…
Capital punishment is deteriorating in its area of expertise and proves that it indeed does not seem to be changing the level of crime rates. Critics argue that since it fails to discourage murderers, then it serves no purpose in preventing anything. Thurgood Marshall, the late Justice of the United States Supreme Court argues that, "[Capital punishment] violates the Eighth Amendment because it is morally unacceptable to the people of the United States at this time in their history. In judging whether or not a given penalty is morally acceptable, most courts have said that the punishment is valid unless 'it shocks the conscience and sense of justice of the people.' Assuming knowledge of all the facts presently available regarding capital punishment, the average citizen would find it shocking to his conscience and sense of justice. For this single reason, capital punishment cannot stand," he said. Marshall believes that although there is a significant decrease in its overall support, the United States still persists on partaking in the unlawful act and not only is it sending the wrong moralities to the upcoming generations but it lacks humane qualities. Opponents argue that the judicial system is flawed in its conviction which may lead to the innocent being killed, as a result, there is no justice in capital punishment