Capital punishment is the killing of a person by a government as punishment for a crime committed. Typical crimes punishable by death range from crimes related to murder such as in the United States (Amnesty International, 2013) to homosexuality in some countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Uganda (Rupar, 2014) and refusal to renounce Christianity in an Islamic state in Sudan. (Dixon, 2014). In 2012, 21 countries recorded state-sponsored executions, with the total number of executions worldwide numbering in the thousands, due to undocumented executions carried out in China and approximately 75% of all executions worldwide took place. took place in the three countries of Iran. , Iraq and Saudi Arabia. (Amnesty International, 2013). The use of capital punishment is a practice that dates back to the beginnings of human society. According to "History of the Death Penalty" by Michael H. Reggio, the Code of King Hammurabi in Babylon in the 18th century BC defined twenty-five crimes punishable by death, although murder was not included among these crimes. In the fifth century BC, the Romans used capital punishment to punish people who engaged in libel, burned a pile of corn near a house, stole by slave, murdered a free man or a relative, among others ( Reggio, 1997). Many of these punishments were also cruel and unusual, such as crucifixion and impalement (Biblical Archeology Society Staff, 2011). By the time of the American Revolution in 1776, the British colonies all had laws against crimes such as arson, piracy, treason, murder, sodomy, burglary, and rape, which were punishable by death (Reggio, 1997). During this period, many philosophers and political figures, such as Thomas Jefferson and Cesare Bec...... middle of article ......naltycurriculum.org/student/c/about/history/history-1. htmNguyen, A (December 19, 2001). The waffle on Bill Clinton's death penalty --. The American perspective. Retrieved May 20, 2014, from http://prospect.org/article/bill-clintons-death-penalty-waffle O'Connor, T. (October 20, 2011). Theories of ethics. MegaLinks in Criminal Justice. Accessed May 20, 2014, from http://www.drtomoconnor.com/3300/3300lect01a.htmReggio, M. History of the Death Penalty. First line: execution. Retrieved May 20, 2014, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/execution/readings/history.htmlRupar, T. (February 24, 2014). Here are the 10 countries where homosexuality can be punished by death. Washington Post. Retrieved May 20, 2014 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/02/24/here-are-the-10-countries-where-homosexuality-may-be-punished-by - death/