The barbaric practice of capital punishment Rarely has a topic in the world faced such a fierce debate as that of the practice of sentencing the condemned to death. Capital punishment, or the death penalty, has been a widespread and common event until recent centuries, applicable even for a minor crime. As society and culture have evolved, however, this barbaric practice has come under intense scrutiny. Today, many first world countries have outlawed the death penalty in all but the rarest cases, such as wartime treason. The United States, however, which has been at the forefront of the fight for global human rights, still uses the death penalty. freely and can apply it for a large number of crimes. This archaic and primitive practice rightfully leads other nations to question the United States' self-proclaimed leadership in global human rights. As many who have carefully examined the practice have concluded, this practice in the United States is not only impractical, unethical, but also full of errors to such a degree that it could easily be outlawed. The unfortunate part, as many inside and outside our great nation believe, is that this is not the case. The development of societies and their governments naturally leads to systems of laws and punishments. Originally, illegal acts were much more numerous than those that exist today, and punishments were harsher, since an advanced prison system had not been developed. The basic premise of any global legal system, however, has always been simple: take those who pose a threat to society and remove them from it. The subsequent act of choosing to actually kill these people was never a necessary act for society. Instead it was a form of retributive justice,...... at the center of the paper......Campaign to end the death penalty: Illinois Moratorium, "Victory Moratorium In Illinois" December 13, 2000 http ://www. nodeathpenalty.org/ilmoratorium.htmlDieter, Richard C., The Death Penalty in Black & White: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Decides June 1998, December 13, 2000 http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/racerpt.htmlGenesis and John. Holy Bible (Chicago: Good Counsel Publishers, 1966) Hook, Donald D. and Lothar Kahn, Death in the Balance, (Lexington: Lexington Books, 1989) John, Mark and Alastair Macdonald, "Bush's Hard Line on Executions Will Put difficulties for Europe" 14 December 2000, 14 December 2000 http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001214/pl/bush_death_dc_1.htmlNational coalition for the abolition of the death penalty, "Deterrence...Done or fiction?" December 13, 2000 http://www.ncadp.org/fact5.htmlSellin, Thorsten, Capital Punishment, (NY: Harper & Row) 122-124 and 239-253