The Bible says a lot about capital punishment and sentencing for all types of crimes. When God controlled Israel, He incorporated different punishments for different types of crimes. The books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy would be great for you to read. Notice what God said capital punishment would do in a society:
"Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid" (Deut. 21:21 NIV).
I'm convinced that many types of punishment will cause this type of result. When people know that they can't get away with wrong, or that they must pay for it once they're caught, then many will be deterred from committing the crime because of the fear of punishment. Here's another Scripture that will say it more clearly:
"When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong" (Eccl. 8:11 NIV).
Our legal system is on the slow side when it comes to sentencing and executing a punishment. The Bible is telling us that this will promote crime. If people know they can get away with a crime, then they will begin to contemplate doing evil acts.
If a sentence for a crime is invoked and quickly carried out, then most people won't consider doing wrong. I don't envy your position and want you to know that I will keep you in my prayers. I'm convinced that God will give you wisdom to make the right decisions.
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