Capital Punishment and the Death Penalty Capital punishment is the legal infliction of death by the state. It is obviously the most severe form of criminal punishment (Bedau 1). Capital punishment is a controversial way of dealing with violent criminals. The main alternative to the death penalty is life in prison. Capital punishment has been around for thousands of years as a means of eradicating criminals. The supporters claim that if you take a life you …showed first 75 words of 1267 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1267 total…being struck with enough electricity to cause the eyeballs pop out of their sockets any better than being beheaded? Is the death penalty ‘cruel and unusual punishment’? We must devise more sane methods of execution, which are quick and efficient. Most importantly we must make the appeals process more orderly to cut down on the bulk of inmates on death row, and therefore cut down on the money wasted housing prisoners during the appeals process.