Capital Punishment The death penalty is a necessary evil that has a positive effect on society today. It is an effective deterrent of crime as well as a safeguard for society. It also helps to keep order in our cities. Furthermore feel it is a just and effective punishment for those who have committed crimes heinous enough to deserve death. The death penalty is not a new idea in our world. Its origins date back over 3,700 years to the Babylonian civilization, where it was prescribed for a variety of crimes. (Capital Punishment p.10). It was also greatly used in the Greek and Roman empires. It continued into England during the Middle Ages,and then to the American colonies where