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 colonie