Managing Diversity

The death penalty was first instituted and used over 375 years ago. Since then, many opinions have formed regarding how the death penalty should be applied, if at all. Some people believe capital punishment to be "cruel and unusual punishment," a blatant violation of the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Others believe that a person, who kills, should himself or herself be killed. This statement alone raises the question, "How should they be killed?" The question that should really be asked is, "Should we kill at all?" Would it be morally correct to kill someone just because they have killed someone else?
The U.S. death penalty has been a means for punishment since 18th century B.C. In ancient times, the death penalty was a consequence for a number of crimes, not only for crimes involving murder. The death penalty was administered for offences such as not honoring the Sabbath, cursing one's parents, practicing a different religion, engaging in prostitution, homosexual be...