A brief history of Capital Punishment Examples of capital punishment can be cited from historical accounts of public beheadings, maimings, crucifying and hangings (Time trip, 2001). These public events were an inexpensive approach to dispensing justice and deterring future incidents in effort to control the population. During the …show more content…
History has documented a number of examples of this form of punishment being used to help deter crime and to protect society members as well as their beliefs. As society changes their opinion, focusing more on restorative programs rather than vengeance, it is contributing to the idea that capital punishment is obsolete. However, many states have disbanded the use of the death penalty not because they believed that it was inhumane, but because of the cost. Many states are faced with budget shortfalls and can not continue supporting the death penalty and pay for their annual state operations. Even though there are a number of moral debates surrounding this issue, the true deciding factor may not be based in ethics but rather in the costs associated with the