Capital punishment is defined as the legally authorized execution of someone as punishment for a crime. Capital crime and capital misdemeanor are crimes that carry the death penalty. This procedure has been practiced in many societies and countries for years. Executions have been reported to be much more expensive than keeping an inmate in prison for life (Payne, 2013). Of all the states where capital punishment is permitted, California has the highest number of death row inmates (Payne, 2013). It is also reported that California has spent over four billion dollars on the death penalty since it was re-allowed in 1978, and currently spends over one hundred and eighty-four million dollars annually on capital punishment and is expected to spend over one billion dollars over the next five years (Payne, 2013). Capital punishment trials are estimated to be 20 times more expensive than trials for inmates seeking life in prison without the possibility of parole. Texas has executed the largest number of inmates in the United States. It has been reported that 40% of all executions occur in Texas since the Supreme Court allowed the death penalty again in 1976. During the 18th century, the first capital punishment law developed in the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon ( "The us history", 2009). The Code of Hammaurabi was a legal document that contained the first known laws on capital punishment. It was written in 1700 BC and according to the code it was stated that twenty-five different crimes were punishable by death. These crimes were as follows: theft, adultery (a husband or wife having an affair), and assisting slaves in escaping and/or harboring them (...... middle of paper ...... not it is officially abolished in the United Kingdom until the year 1998. Capital punishment is usually opposed by almost all religions because they believe it to be immoral, although there are many religious passages that support it (Payne 2013, Christianity and Catholicism oppose it). to the death penalty and have formed movements against them. Christians usually cite the execution of Jesus Christ on the cross as their main supporting reason for opposing the death penalty, Baptist ethicist Glen H. Stassen wrote in an article. how the Lord Jesus Christ was unjustly given the death penalty and that people who repeat the same act are equally bad (Martinez, 2002), however, the Buddhist religion has never spoken publicly about the death penalty, since the religion is best known for having compassion for life and for strongly opposing violence.