Capital Punishment has many origins.

The word capital comes from the Latin word capitalis, literally regarding the head. Hence, executions originally were carried out by severing the head from the body. The earliest known laws established concerning capital punishment probably date back to the 18th century B.C.E, when, in the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon, execution was legalized for 25 different crimes. There are many pros and cons for capital punishment. Some of the many arguments for capital punishment are: murderers deserve to die; and that it is not only society's right, it is its duty to defend the innocent. One quote by Clark County, Indiana Prosecuting Attorney states that ...there are some defendants who have earned the ultimate punishment our society has to offer by committing murder with aggravating circumstances present. I believe life is sacred. It cheapens the life of an innocent murder victim to say that society has no right to keep the murderer from ever killing again. In my view, society has not only the right, but the duty to act in self defense to protect the innocent." Al Gore also said (during his presidential debate on Oct. 17, 2000) that he is for the death penalty. He also stated I think that it has to be administered not only fairly, with attention to things like DNA evidence, which I think should be used in all capital cases, but also with very careful attention, What he was worried about is a man being wrongfully put to death, as he stated that it would be a double tragedy: Not only has an innocent person been executed but the real perpetrator of the crime has not been held accountable for it, and in some cases may be still at large. There are also a lot of arguments against capital punishment. As Catholic Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington stated, ...the death penalty diminishes all of us, increases disrespect for human life, and offers the tragic illusion that we can teach that killing is wrong by killing." John Kerry also stated on the Wolf Blitzer Reports, CNN (September 17, 1996), that I know something about killing. I don't like killing. And I don't think a state honors life by turning around and sanctioning killing. Now, that's just a personal belief that I have. Apparently, less and less people are believing in the death penalty. Proof of this is limitations established in the United States, including mental disabilities, juveniles, and race. Race is

one of the most disputed issues in the sentencing of capital punishment. As a result, race became the focus of the criminal justice debate when the Supreme Court held in Batson v. Kentucky (1986) that a prosecutor who strikes a disproportionate number of citizens of the same race in selecting a jury is required to rebut the inference of discrimination by showing neutral reasons for the strikes. Another reason for the decrease of death penalties is innocence. To sum it up, there is a lot of debating behind the death penalty. People who are for capital punishment believe that murderers deserve it. People who are against capital punishment believe that it is immoral. Another issue which causes debating over the death penalty is innocence. Finally, racial discrimination is one of the most debated issues in capital punishment.