Capital Punishment Capital punishment is the lawful infliction of death as a punishment and since ancient times it has been used for a wide variety of offences. The Bible prescribes death(see exodus 21:12 and deuteronomy 22:13) for murder and many other crimes, including kidnapping and witchcraft. By 1500 in England, only major felonies carried the death penalty - treason, murder, larceny, burglary, rape, and arson. By 1700, however, Parliament had enacted many new capital offences, and hundreds of persons were being put to death each year. Reform of the death penalty began in Europe by the 1750s.It was mentioned in the code of Hammurabi, and was championed by such academics such