2. EARLY DEATH PENALTY LAWS:
• The first established death penalty law date in the Eighteenth Century
B.C., and it used in other civilizations from the past, for example, in the
Hittie code (Fourteenth Century B.C), the Draconian Code of Athens and
the Roman Law of the Twelve Tablets.
• In Britain (Tenth Century A.D) hanging was the usual method of execution.
• During the reign of Henry VIII 72,000 are estimated to have been
executed.
3. Death Penalty in America
and
The Abolitionist Movement
• The first recorded execution was the execution of Captain George Kendall
which was a spy for Spain.
• The abolitionist movement started with the European Theorists
Montesquieu, Voltaire and Bentham.
• Cesare Beccaria’s essay, “On the Crimes and Punishment”, had a strong
impact throughout the world.
14. DNA testing and other methods of modern crime scene
science can now effectively eliminate almost all
uncertainty as to a person’s guilt or innocence