Capital punishment, or the legal taking of a life, has existed for many centuries. The death sentence has been applied countless times since ancient times as punishment for crimes ranging from petty theft to murder. The earliest known records on the subject date back to 2000 BC, but it is clear that capital punishment has existed more or less since the birth of humanity (Szumski 25). A perfect example of this can be found in the Code of Hammurabi. The modern movement to abolish capital punishment began in the 18th century with the writings of Montesquieu and Voltaire, as well as Cesare Beccaria's Essay on Crimes and Crimes.