Capital Punishment

Essay by Anonymous UserHigh School, 12th gradeA, January 1996

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Capital Punishment

'He who sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God was

man created.'(Genesis 9:6) 'Anyone who by violence causes a death must be put to death.'(Exodus

21:12) 'But should any person dare to kill another with deliberate planning, you will take that person even from my altar to be put to death.'(Exodus 21:14)

Capital Punishment can be described as a the punishment of death for a very bad or heinous

crime like murder. Not all states have got capital punishment, otherwise known as the 'Death Penalty.'

The states which do not have this type of punishment are Alaska, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Iowa,

Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and

Wisconsin. The remaining states do have some form of capital punishment ranging from hanging, firing

squad, electrocution, gas chamber, and lethal injection.

If somebody killed someone they would not automatically get the death penalty, there are several

circumstances that a judge, jury, and prosecutioner must look at to see how bad the crime was. In some

states if you kidnap someone, and do heinous things to them, you could still be eligible for the death

penalty. Each state which carries a death sentence has got their own requirements that a person must

meet to decide whether they get life in prison, or the sentence of death. Below is each state which carries

a death sentence and the requirements that a person must meet and be convicted of in order to receive the

death sentence.

In Alabama in order to receive the death penalty you must murder during a kidnapping,

robbery, rape, sodomy, burglary, sexual assault, or arson. Also, someone would get the death penalty if

they murdered a peace officer, correctional officer,