Capital punishment has been around for as long as there has been written language. It has been used all over the world, in different cultures, and has been performed in different styles. In the past, the death penalty was taken for granted for almost every crime imaginable (Garland). However, in today's society, the question has been raised whether capital punishment is a humane way of dealing with criminals. For most of human history, there have always been traces of the death penalty. Most of them were usually extremely painful or just plain bothersome. One of the most troubling periods in history when the death penalty was widely applied was in late 18th century France. This period is also known as the “Reign of Terror”. (Brown) During this period, French citizens would not have trials for the crimes they were accused of. In many cases, this would mean that if you were accused of a crime, you were going to be executed. In France, the preferred death penalty would be the guillotine. This method was cruel and unusual. This would place the death row inmate in the center of town so everyone could see him. The only thing that made the guillotine a somewhat respected form of execution was that "it was the quickest and least painful mode of death." » (Smith 33), at least for this period. In today's society, many argue that the death penalty is inhumane. They call it a form of torture because convicts wait so long on death row for their execution date. However, according to the United Nations Convention, this is not a form of torture. The United Nations Convention defines torture as "Torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is...... middle of paper ......10) : 503-535. Academic research completed. Internet. April 3, 2014. Smith, Philip. “Narrating the guillotine: the technology of punishment as myth and symbol” Theory, culture and society October 2003 vol. 20 no. 5 27-51. Internet. April 3, 2014. Alarcón, Judge Arthur L. and Paula M. Mitchell. “Executing the Will of the Voters?: A Roadmap to Fixing or Ending the California Legislature’s Multibillion-Dollar Death Penalty Debacle.” Loyola Los Angeles Law Review 44.3 (2011): S41-S224. Academic research completed. Internet. April 4, 2014. Lamperti, John. “Does capital punishment deter murder?.” Dartmouth.edu. Np, and Web. April 3, 2014. Gross, Samuel R., et al. “United States Exemptions from 1989 to 2003.” Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 95.2 (2005): 523-560. Academic research completed. Internet. April 4. 2014.