Master of Criminal Law and Criminology, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz Branch, Shiraz, Iran
10.22034/lc.2026.578828.1761
Abstract
Capital punishment is the most severe punishment prescribed in criminal law for certain crimes and is usually imposed on criminals who commit serious crimes. This punishment has undergone many changes throughout history in various aspects, along with other aspects of criminal law, and often had a wide scope in ancient laws.In any case, the evolution of the death penalty from the beginning of the codification of the laws to the present day is quite tangible. The views of the heavenly religions and various schools of criminal law on death penalty are examined and it becomes clear that as time passed and the Renaissance approached, the images related to this punishment weakened and the schools of justice suggested alternatives such as exile, imprisonment, and other types of deterrent and corrective punishments instead of death penalty.Among supporters and opponents of this punishment, the reasons for those in favor include maintaining justice and creating fear to maintain security, while opponents point to the negative consequences for the offender's family, the possibility of errors in the execution of the sentence, and the negative effects on society.