The law code of Hammurabi, recognized as the first set of rules of laws to exist in human civilization, was written during the ancient Mesopotamia time in 1745BC. The Babylonian law code is a collection of 282 laws carved into a stone. It was discovered in a stone pillar. The code of law was thought to maintain law and order of the ever growing empire under the rules of Hammurabi.
Some of the laws are thought to be extremely cruel and unusual in the eyes of the modern American society. One of the most classic examples that best exemplifies the Hammurabi's code of law is “an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.” A modern example that shows consistency with this code is capital punishment still enforceable in a number of US states.
A sharp contrast that juxtaposes the Hammurabi's code and the American judicial system is evident throughout the code of Hammurabi. Unequal application of punishment can vary by gender and social class. For instance, code 197 states that if a man breaks the bones of a free man, the man's bone will be broken. However, if an assailant breaks the bones of a commoner, his punishment can be as light as a
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However, innocents were inevitably punished for crimes they did not commit. A builder's poor construction that led to the collapse of a house and the death of the family's daughter would culminate in the death punishment of the builder's daughter. As for our modern justice system, it would be unfathomable to think that innocents could be punished for crimes they are not involved in. The modern justice system also provides the alleged due process and trial by jury guaranteed by the constitution. However, failure to enforce laws properly and strictly has resulted in many people being exonerated from the crimes they commit. At best, some of them end up a slap on the