The so-called "death penalty" has been around since the ancient Greek times, when Socrates, at the age of 70, was brought to trial and charged with "not believing in the gods the state believed in, introducing different new divine powers, and corrupting the young. Socrates was summoned to drink the cup of hemlock, for having criticized the tyranny of Critias, the oppressor or Athens. ...

• Word Count: 2651
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The most notorious death during this time was that of Socrates, who was accused of heresy, or belief in something different than your superiors, and the corruption of youth. Socrates was forced to drink poison, which killed him within minutes. ...

• Word Count: 3139
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Deterrence Leslie Cantu: Fear of death deters people from committing crimes, proponents say. They also believe that if attached to certain crimes, the penalty of death exerts a positive moral influence by placing a stigma on certain crimes like manslaughter, resulting in attitudes of disgust and horror to such acts. Furthermore, retentionists insist that the deterrent influence of the death penalty reaches across state lines into jurisdictions that have abolished it, and so all benefit by its continued use. Perhaps this is the intended goal of the Violent Crime Control And Law Enforcement Ac...

• Word Count: 4694
• Approx Pages: 19
• Grade Level: High School