Free Essay On Death Penalty In democratic countries

Death penalty exists in human history from ancient times and it has been used by many societies to punish for murder, treason, espionage or other serious crimes, especially of a military nature. In some societies, capital punishment is also applied to people that committed religious or sexual crimes, such as apostasy, incest, sodomy, rape, and other crimes.
In ancient times, death penalty could be applied as a punishment to the people who were accused of serious crimes, but in many cultures a person who committed the crime was given a chance to fight for life, and in many cases there was a duel. In ancient monarchies crimes against the crown often ended in death penalty as well. In addition, death penalty could be applied towards people chosen by the king because of personal reasons known only to the king himself. This rule of killing people that did not earn the sympathy of the society’s leader was also popular among the ancient tribes. Also, death penalty could be applied to the slaves for any crime they were accused of.
Basically, it can be stated that death penalty was the main type of a punishment regardless of the crime itself as there were no prisons for the people who committed crimes. People who were accused of witchery were executed as a result of witch trials. In some countries, sodomy could result in death penalties as well.
However, death penalty is rarely being used as a punishment today, and only several countries keep executing people who committed serious crimes. With emergence of states, people received their legal rights and natural rights based on which they had a right to life and justice. During the last several centuries, penitential institutions were established all over the world, and the number of capital punishments has dramatically decreased.
Today, many countries have abolished capital punishment. Some countries have completely abolished capital punishment, and some countries allow death penalty in exceptional situations. Abolition of capital punishment is an entry condition in the European Union, and political change in many democracies has become a driving force of the death penalty abolishment. At the same time, some countries still apply capital punishment, and it can be noted that it is quite normal to execute criminals in the countries with large population.
In democratic countries that have abolished capital punishment the debate over death penalty is sometimes revived when society faces a brutal murder or other serious crime. In other countries people cannot vote whether there should be capital punishment in their country, so they have no choice. It can be mentioned that existence of death penalty in the country increases the risks for potential criminals, and it often prevents many people from committing crimes.
It can be concluded that the way death penalty was applied to the criminals has changed a lot throughout the history of humankind. Earlier there were no permanent penitential institutions and police forces, and it was hard to maintain discipline in the society. There were no means of control, and military played the role of police, and as there were no courts, punishment could be of a physical nature only, and crimes often resulted in death penalties. However, with evolution of criminal justice system and emergence of police forces, death penalty is used as a punishment very rarely and in the countries that still retain death penalty.