Capital punishment has been a punitive outgrowth of multiple societies in many different countries over the years. The death penalty has been observed in many different forms, depending on the society or culture. It is seen as an act of justice due to its deeply rooted historical tradition. Over the centuries, many cultures have used capital punishment because it ensures the safety of society. Criminals continue to use violence as a way to solve a problem. Capital punishment discourages crime rates more than anything else. The death penalty offers justice according to historical tradition. According to Roger Smith, societies use capital punishment as a consequence of numerous crimes. “The Babylonian Code of Hammurabi provides for death as punishment for the following crimes: perjury; making unproven accusations; theft from temples, state property, or a landowner's house; receiving stolen goods; helping slaves escape or hiding fugitive slaves; damage the wall of a house; robbery; failure to heed the king's summons; fraud in the sale of wine; allow outlaws to gather in a house without reporting them; violate vows; humiliate a husband; or poor construction of the house that caused the death. Another piece of literature that supports the death penalty is The Bible (Smith 14). The Bible, as well as the Code of Hammurabi, believed in the concept of “life for life,” more commonly known as “an eye for an eye.” This is the idea that if one takes the life of another, then he should pay for his actions with executions. One of the first means of execution used by the people of Israel was stoning. Stoning was usually carried out by the entire village. Other societies that followed the death penalty were... at the center of the paper... eterrence of crime. In cases of murder, the victim's family members are often distraught and in need of some form of assistance. closure before they can move on. The death penalty constitutes this type of closure. It is a reasonable response for a family member to want the criminal's life taken, since they took the life of someone they loved. While it is important for the victim's family to feel closure, it is equally important for the surrounding society to receive a sense of closure. The thought of murder makes many people very uncomfortable. The thought of a killer walking the streets of their community puts them on edge. The way courts can minimize the crime rate and maximize the safety of society is by properly sentencing criminals to the death penalty. The death penalty provides a concrete punishment for criminals who deserve just that.