The death penalty, as administered by states based on their individual laws, is considered capital punishment, the purpose of which is to penalize criminals convicted of murder or other heinous crimes. The death penalty issue has been the focus of much controversy in recent years, even though capital punishment has been a part of our country's history since the beginning. Crimes in colonial times, such as murder and theft of livestock were dealt with swiftly …showed first 75 words of 1382 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1382 total…Capital Punishment, and Deterrence" 1994. Journal of Social Issues. Fabian, Nicholas "A Review of Capital Punishment: Is the Death Penalty a Deterrent Against Crime?" Pro-Death Penalty. http://webcom.net/~nfhome/capital.htm (20 Apr. 00) Sharp, Dudley "Death Penalty and Sentencing Information in the United States" Pro- Death Penalty. http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/DP.html (17 Apr. 00) Snell, Tracy "Capital Punishment 1995" U. S. Department of Justice. http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles/cp95.pdf (20 Apr. 00) <Tab/>