ipl-logo

Death Penalty: History Of Crimes Punishable And The Sentence

1130 Words5 Pages

Deanna Young
Informer: Death Penalty
December 4, 2017
History of Crimes Punishable and the Sentences
The death penalty dates back to the 18th Century BC when the Code of Hammurabi was written, which contained the first known death penalty laws. (Historical Timeline, 2013). Under these laws, there were 25 crimes punishable by law, murder was not included in this list (Reggio, 2014). The first recorded execution occurred in 16th century BC in Egypt when a man was accused of using magic and ordered to kill himself (Reggio, 2014). The Hittite Code, Roman Law of the Twelve Tablets, and BC Draconian Code of Athens all coded the death penalty by 5th century BC (Reggio, 2014). During these times, the death sentences were usually cruel, including …show more content…

The Death Penalty Information Center states, “under the reign of Henry VII, as many as 72,000 people are estimated to have been executed” (Death Penalty Information Center, 2017). Britain carried out executions for marrying Jews, not confessing to a crime, and treason (Introduction to the Death Penalty, 2017). 222 crimes were punishable by death in Britain by the 1700’s. (Introduction to the Death Penalty, 2017). The crimes could include stealing from a house, stealing from a shop, cutting down a tree, and using counterfeit tax forms (Reggio, …show more content…

As stated in History of the Death Penalty by Reggio, "Britain influenced the colonies more than any other country and has a long history of punishment by death" (Reggio, 2014). When the British came over to America, they brought along capital punishment with them. The first recorded execution took place in the Virginia colony in 1608. George Kendall was executed for allegedly being a Spanish spy (Introduction to the Death Penalty, 2017). Sir Thomas Dale implemented the Divine, Moral, and Martial Laws in 1612, which made death the penalty legal for minor offenses such as “stealing grapes, killing chickens, killing dogs or horses without permission, or trading with Indians” (Reggio, 2014). These were the first death penalty laws in the American colonies. The first legal execution under these laws occurred in 1622 when Daniel Frank was executed for theft (Reggio, 2014). The death penalty was used in all 13 colonies by the start of the American Revolution, with all but one having at least 10 crimes punishable by death (Historical Timeline: History of the Death Penalty,

Show More
Related
832 Words | 4 Pages

According to this article, to name a few, through history, it started from hangings in 1879, then electrocution by chair in 1890, until it reached lethal injection in 2008 where it deemed more humane. Several opinions were added in order to conduct an alternative method that would have a little to no chance in violating the 8th amendment. Officials can act unconstitutionally if they were to execute a condemned person in a procedure that intentionally makes it painful or in another way where they did not care whether it actually was. Due to this, this mostly continued to set an outer limit on how the death penalty can be carried out and since the court was unable to gather an actual majority to decipher the limit more

Read More
1733 Words | 7 Pages

The act of civil punishment started from the influence of European practices. The very first execution was in 1608. Following the first death, the death penalty became more frequent in the court. During the colonial period, Beccaria (an Italian criminologist during the Age of Enlightenment) started influencing ideas of preventing and abolishing the death penalty. Leading up the the Civil War, the death penalty was diminished.

Read More
1165 Words | 5 Pages

The death penalty was first established dating back to as far as eighteenth century B.C. found in the code of King Hammurabi. Yet, for America the penalty started with great influence from Britain. The first recorded execution in America was “that of Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown colony of Virginia in 1608” ( “Introduction to the Death Penalty”). He was executed for being a

Read More
796 Words | 4 Pages

Capital Punishment, or the death penalty, has gone back and forth between Supreme Court cases for years (Death Penalty). Since 1972, with the case Furman v. Georgia, the legality of the death penalty has been challenged, along with it’s principality and methods. The first recorded use of death as a punishment in America was in 1608 (Reggio), George Kendall of Virginia was executed under the belief that he would betray the British Empire to the Spanish, and the first legal execution occurred in 1622, when Daniel Frank of Virginia was put to death for thievery. Historically, the death penalty was inflicted under crimes like theft, murder, perjury, adultery, rape and statutory rape, buggery and beastiality, arson, blasphemy, and the Duke’s

Read More
296 Words | 2 Pages

Every colony was different from using it. Though capital punishment was never completely outlawed. It is at all time low of 42%. In America 31 states still to this day have the death penalty in use.

Read More
161 Words | 1 Pages

In early American civilizations, there were many ways that the people of criminal status were punished for their actions. In early Puritan towns, one of the most popular forms of punishment was the convicted criminal to be sentenced to the gallows, or to be hung. “Public execution was a common practice that continued on for multiple decades. In these types of executions, masses of people would come together to listen to a sermon given by a puritan minister, hear the last words of the condemned criminal, then witness the killing” of the criminal (Turabian 2). Many people in the towns that induced hanging methods did not know anything other than the ways of what they had grown up knowing so they just continued to support the actions.

Read More
1741 Words | 7 Pages

The death penalty goes far back into history, across many different civilizations, and many different cultures. It has been around since the beginnings of colonial America, and was very different compared to todays standards. “In colonial America, criminals

Read More
1380 Words | 6 Pages

in the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon, which codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes (Part I: History of the Death Penalty). Since then it has evolved and has become one of the most argued and controversial topics of the century. According to Amnesty International, seventy-six countries have eradicated the death penalty completely, and many countries that retain the death penalty have not utilized it for years. One of the reasons this topic is so disputed is because of the anguish that comes with it, especially for the condemned.

Read More
1209 Words | 5 Pages

(1) Basically all other crimes were punishable by death. Hanging became the punishment for thievery. Treason meant being drawn and quartered, a gruesome way to end a person’s life, with their remains being put on public display to warn others. The commonness of public executions would be appalling today; however, it encouraged the citizens of England to stay away from any form of crime. Queen Elizabeth’s laws did not mean death was imminent for all criminals.

Read More
900 Words | 4 Pages

In “The Encyclopedia of American Law Enforcement” it claims that capital punishment is, “ranked among the oldest punishments imposed for criminal behavior”(Capital 58). According to the article, “The History of The Death Penalty” the first laws regarding legalized executions can be traced back as far as 18th century B.C. During a period starting in the 17th century B.C. all crimes were punishable by death; some methods of punishment even included, burning to death, crucifixion, drowning and impalement. However, in the tenth century of this millennium hanging became the age standard of execution.

Read More
900 Words | 4 Pages

The death penalty is a punishment of execution, given to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. The death penalty laws were established in the 18th century B.C when king Hammaurabi of Babylon instituted the law for 25 different crimes. In Jewish history the death penalty could only be given after trail by the Sanhedrin, which was composed of twenty-three judges. There were four different ways the death penalty was imposed on an individual, these were burning, stoning, strangling and slaying (Talmud). In today’s society most countries have abolished the death penalty due to various reasons such as unfair justice, but others still have it in place, for example some states in The United States of America.

Read More
818 Words | 4 Pages

Court Cases Contributing to the Civil Rights Movement America: Land of the free. Or is it? Not that long ago, equal opportunity seemed far away as the moon to many African-American citizens. This is the cornerstone of the Civil Rights Movement, which has been taking on serious publicity in the late 1960 's, but dates as far back as American colonial times.

Read More
1158 Words | 5 Pages

Due to the lack of death sentencings, multiple propositions have given alternate forms of sentencing, and trials, and even mention removing this penalty as a whole. Death as a judge ruling conclusion has long been circulating in the history of the world. Originally, the penalty started in Britain and later circulated into American territories. In the 16th century, many crimes that were committed could lead to any one of the desired methods of executions. Some offenses that could lead a criminal to death included lying to a higher official, trespassing, murder, or marrying a person who was seen as less in a society at the time (Findlaw.com).

Read More
1267 Words | 6 Pages

Some of the crimes that are punished by death are murder, drug trafficking, adultery, and witchcraft. In most countries, the top ways of execution and most common are electrocutions. hanging, shooting ,and the most common is Lethal Injection (Death Penalty: Pros and Cons).   Some also claim that the death penalty does not always follow the rules that the death penalty is suppose to be clean, quiet and humane.

Read More
861 Words | 4 Pages

Daniel Frank was the first person to be legally executed, he was sentenced to death for theft. (Michael Par. 7). Being executed for theft really was extreme, and the government later made the execution method to be used for more grave crimes. Many states years after decided to abolish capital punishment, and eventually legalized it again. Though execution has been considered inhuman, it did lower the crime rates for the crimes that would be categorized for execution.

Read More

More about Death Penalty: History Of Crimes Punishable And The Sentence

Related Topics

Open Document