Life is the most precious asset that a human being possesses. It is therefore no coincidence that one of the first human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the right to life. The third article states that a person has the right not to be killed by another human being, and this is where nations that use the death penalty fail (Source 1). The death penalty or capital punishment is a legal procedure by which a person is executed as punishment for committing a crime. It is still used in more than 50 countries around the world. Centuries before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights existed, important civilizations such as the Mesopotamian, Greek, and Roman empires used death to punish criminals for their actions. This was such an important issue that even religions took a stand on whether or not punishment should be used, and in the case of Christianity and Judaism, they both agreed that punishment was justified in their sacred books. Over time, empires declined, new knowledge was gained, and emerging civilizations still resorted to the death penalty. It was not until the Heian period in Japan (794-1185) that people began to question whether death was the best punishment for a criminal and whether it was just or not, as they saw different alternatives that were also effective (Source 1). The United States is one of 58 countries that still uses capital punishment. This is only legal in some states, but there are general regulations from the federal government that determine which cases can receive the death penalty. For a person to be executed, they must have committed a capital crime, a crime punishable by death in the United States. The capit......middle of paper......others. Different types of workers, such as journalists, executioners and guards, have reported these symptoms. It should come as no surprise that workers must face these distresses while carrying the lives of those executed on their hands. As retired executioner Jerry Givens said, "If you let the [jury] foreman be the executioner, then I think they would think twice about the execution." If you let the judge be the executioner, I think he would think again about sending someone to be executed. What this proves is that the executioners are aware that they are depriving someone of the right to life, which is a worrying feeling for any person. It is inhumane to cause so much psychological turmoil in the minds of people, especially those who are simply trying to earn a living by doing their job...