Capital Punishment Today :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Capital Punishment Today "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, public official, or murder under a life sentence. They're many more but they are kind of useless to my paper. In the state of Arizona, the only way you could receive the death penalty was if you committed first degree murder and had one of ten "aggravating" factors associated with the murder. In Arkansas you must kill someone with arson, kill a law enforcement officer on purpose, a teacher or school worker, kill a prison worker, a jail attendant, correctional worker, or someone who is in the military. Also if you are a hit man, otherwise known as contract murder. In California you must commit treason, which are acts to try to overthrow the government, homicide by a prisoner serving a life term, train wrecking, and lastly perjury causing