“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement.”-J.R.R. Tolkien. Throughout history punishment for committing a crime is handed down by governing officials and depending on the type of defiance of the law can determine the severity of punishment handed to the criminal. Society looks at the unlawfully premeditated killing of one human being by another momentous in regard of crime. This act of lawbreaking has endured great debates on wether the current state of capital punishment is a moral and justified way of handling criminals being convicted of murder. Capital punishment by definition is the death penalty or execution is punishment by death. …show more content…
It is the legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime. The crimes that result in the death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offenses. Many things factor in the debate over capital punishment including cost, racial biases, effectiveness, and the list goes on. Recently many countries around the world are against capital punishment and taking action by abolishing the death penalty in law or practice. Though, the United States is not one of the countries to abolish the death penalty leading many of its citizens in a moral debate of what is right. Is the act of killing a person who has been convicted of murder right? Is this form of legal punishment only another form of murder? These question arise in every debate with those who advocates the death penalty is justified form of punishment of such heinous crimes. In todays society there is a set of laws that everyone is expected to fallow. A question of morality arises when there is no standard on how to punish an individual and there unique crime. How can one fairly and ethically evaluate a crime and punish the individual who commits the crime by death? Jeffery Reiman and his unfavorable views towards capital punishment question societies stance on why capital punishment isn’t abolished. He believes that many factors show that capital punishment is unjust and their is too much variation and interpretation when dealing with punishment that fits the crime. Reiman states that the justification of the death penalty as an accurate form of punishment for murder normally is seen in fair under deterrence and retribution. So, basically it is s form of punishment to scare individuals from committing such crimes and to punish as vengeance for taking another life. Reiman believes that the death penalty can be just on retributive grounds, but justifying the lex talionis, an eye for an eye, leads to escalating variations and interpretations. Reiman goes further to say that social factors, especially poverty, are in some ways contributing factors in the cause of crime. Reiman questions the current legal system stating that discrimination is prevalent amongst the application of the death penalty among convicted criminals. He shows that there is research that has found that among equals guilty murders, the death penalty is more likely to be given to blacks rather than whites. There is also class discrimination as well where poor convicts with murder charges are likely to receive the death penalty than rich ones. People with more finical means use their resources to afford better representation and defenses that allow them either reduce their sentencing and allowing them to avoid the death penalty. If poverty is indeed a factor than it is no longer reasonable to characterize criminals as wholly responsible. Reiman argues that in many cases capital punishment is beyond unjust and concludes the death penalty also possess psychological effects that included torture punishment. Life on death row is torture and states that the psychological deterioration suffered by the majority of death row prisoners is substantial. With these factors influencing the outcome of who receives the death penalty, how can one assume that capital punishment is justified and not find the practice fundamentally flawed? Reiman urges society to abolish the practice of capital punishment on moral grounds and advises humanity to find better alternatives in dealing with dealing out punishment in a justified way. Ernest van den Haag defends capital punishment and believes the death penalty to be justified in every sense.
Haag argues the predictability does not reduce the responsibility. He counters Reiman’s view on discrimination, Haag states that the wealthy have resources available to keep them from the death penalty that include education, attorneys, and other sources of means that help with any legal situation they may find themselves in. If the wealthy cannot use their resources and if they are not available, then there is no reason to achieve wealth in the first place. Haag defends that capital punishment is a justified approach to those who commit heinous crimes that go against any law bound to society. He also argues against Reiman’s reasoning that social factors excuse the criminal in the wholly sense. Haag believes that predictability of criminality from social conditions does not entail reduction in criminal responsibility. Only abnormal impairment of self-control can reduce culpability. Society can be responsible for unjust conditions, but not responsible for the response of the criminals who have the opportunity to avoid them. Haag also counters Reiman’s view on discrimination as well. He argues that if some murderers are not receiving a fully justified deserts than we still should not abandon the effort. There is no criminal convicted of murder that is less guilty or less deserving of full punishment because of the thought that another unfairly escaped the same punishment. Haag believes that the opposition prefer equal injustice which leaves all criminals getting away and unpunished for their crime if some do, to unequal justice which punishes some guilty offenders according to law even if others don’t. Basically, Haag believes that it is better for an unequal justice in an unfair world to that of an equal
injustice. Haag and Reiman object each others views in almost every aspect. Throughout their writings Haag attacks Reiman’s way of thinking that discrimination plays a major role and that social factors have to eliminate some guilt from the criminal. Haag sees that if society backs away from capital punishment and retracts in any way it could lead to a destroyed system. He believes that Reiman holds that the definition of murder is discriminatory since it accounts for a classification of ways of murder of employed by poor, but does little to include ways of killing employed by the rich. There is no moral justification of classifying what a certain killing should be judged and punished without concluding every crime and class. Murder is murder and should not be tolerated and excused for social and ethnic reasoning. On the opposite side Reiman attacks Haag’s view by urging a more fair and ethical approach to punishing criminals without bias opinions and one free discrimination. Reiman believes Haag does little to provide that social factors and discrimination do not exist and solutions to fix its current state. Human life is divine and should be cherished and the thought of crudely ripping away the existence of another has to be considered the most deplorable act of crime. So, is it right to punish by murder out of vengeance and retribution? I believes society has the right to punish individuals that partake in the act of breaking laws that everyone is expected to fallow. The question of morality arises when there is no standard on how to punish an individual and there unique crime. It is hard to clearly view this debate without having social and outside influences being a factor. Though, I see capital punishment as morally wrong and cannot justify killing a man that has been convicted of murder, but I never had a family member killed and cannot commit to the thinking of what justification I would want if those circumstances happened. I would above all want a fair trial and justices for my lost family member and want to see the criminal pay back to society the damages my family has endured. The position I take on the ethical topic regarding the death penalty is that with Reiman stance. I believe that it is unethical to punish a criminal to death even though they have committed murder themselves. An eye for an eye is not a justified way of punishment and I believe that there are some alternatives that can replace such inhumane punishment. No matter how the legal system detriment what punishment fits the crime one cannot decide that death by execution fits the crime. Factors play a part in motives that a pursued in an action with a positive or negative outcome. One to kill another is unfathomable to most people and soon seek out revenge by retribution from that individual who committed such an heinous crime. We eagerly seek for justice with thoughts and actions when handing out punishment that fits the crime, but the punishment is identical to the crime being classified as inhumane and illegal. How can we tell a society that it is not right to kill when we punish by killing. If discrimination plays a factor in dealing with social, class, ethnicity injustices than the death penalty is faulty and cannot be considered a just form of punishment. Haag sates that if the rich use their resources to exclude them from a just trial and punishment than that is their right and prerogative. I do not find fair and moral justice in Haag’s way of thinking. Everyone should have the same equal rights and resources when dealing with their rights at stake and especially if it determines wether you live or die. I also think that there is a better alternatives than execution. For example, murderers can be imprisoned for life while contributing to society that they failed in. Making prisoners work by means of labor, manufacturing, skill trade can provide a service to society that demands various products and in return can cut cost of imprisoning inmates while providing a service. There is no real clear answer in how to object or defend capital punishment. I stand on my moral opinion that capital punishment is unjustly and needs to be abolished and punishment altered in an ethical way.
The author believes the maldistribution of any punishment is not relevant to its justice – The guilty are punished, not one’s race, economic, or social status.
“How the Death Penalty Saves Lives” According to DPIC (Death penalty information center), there are one thousand –four hundred thirty- eight executions in the United States since 1976. Currently, there are Two thousand –nine hundred –five inmates on death row, and the average length of time on death row is about fifteen years in the United States. The Capital punishment, which appears on the surface to the fitting conclusion to the life of a murder, in fact, a complicated issue that produces no clear resolution.; However, the article states it’s justice. In the article “How the Death Penalty Saves Lives” an author David B. Muhlhausen illustrates a story of Earl Ringo , Jr, brutal murder’s execution on September ,10,
Hugo Adam Bedau starts his essay out with a clear position on the death penalty. In his own words he says, “I strongly oppose the death penalty no matter what the crime or the criminal.” His essay is packed with historical information regarding the death penalty. Given that Bedau provides historical background the reader is able to get a sense that his decision is educated and well thought out. He mentions that in the beginning of 1980, the Capital Jury Project interviewed thousands of former capital jurors in several death penalty jurisdictions to determine whether they understood the judge’s instructions regarding sentencing and whether they complied with those instructions. According to their research and what has been published both points
Do two wrongs make a right? That is the question you should ask yourself. How can one life be worth more than another?s? Would you like to have your dignity, and even your basic human rights to stripped away from you at the flick of a switch or the pull of a trigger?
The first argument, which I agree, from van den Haag is the distribution of the death penalty regarding discrimination. For example, the death penalty has been targeted the white criminals more than the black criminals. Through this example, he states that the way that the death penalty is applied, evenly or unevenly, is unrelated to the morality of the death penalty. I agree with this argument because one cannot make the death penalty become moral just by applying it equally to every ethnic group; the death penalty and morality are irrelevant to each other. I believe one should not question the morality of the death penalty because it is pretty personal and emotional to judge the death penalty this way. Instead, one should question whether the criminal truly deserves the death penalty or whether the death penalty is just or unjust, not whether it is evenly or unevenly applied. The second argument that I agree with van den Haag is the death penalty is a better deterrent to crime. Even though he does not show why it is a better deterrent, but I still agree that it can prevent other potential criminals from committing crimes because of its threat on death. Some crimes are so inherently wrong, which many more might occur in the future, thus, they are required more strict penalties. Furthermore, the death penalty will certainly prevent the murderers who executed from committing crimes again. For instance, if we charge imprisonment on vicious murderers and after they get out, what if they commit the same crimes again. Therefore, they must be executed to help preventing more crimes in the future. The third argument that I agree with van den Haag is the justice in the death penalty. He states that even though the death penalties can be repulsive, but it is not unjust to execute the murderer because
As well as being economically unsound, the death penalty is socially biased. A class system appears to be present in the United States of America this day in age, and the lower classes seem to almost be discriminated against by the higher classes. This is also true of capital punishment. Ed Bishop of the St. Louis Journalism Review , writes on how these members of a lower class can not escape the death penalty. At the height of the...
The governance of our present day public and social order co-exist within the present day individual. Attempts to recognize the essentiality of equality in hopes of achieving an imaginable notion of structure and order, has led evidence based practitioners such as Herbert Packer to approach crime and the criminal justice system through due process and crime control. A system where packer believed in which ones rights are not to be infringed defrauded or abused was to be considered to be the ideal for procedural fairness. “I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.” Thomas Jefferson pg 9 cjt To convict an individual because proper consideration was not taken will stir up social unrest rather then it’s initial intent, when he or she who has committed the crime is not punished for their doings can cause for a repetition and even collaboration with other’s for a similar or greater crime.
It is the firm belief and position here that committing such a crime as murder is punishable by death. Americans should take a position for anyone on death row, to be executed sooner rather than later.
It's dark and cold, the fortress-like building has cinderblock walls, and death lurks around the perimeter. A man will die tonight. Under the blue sky, small black birds gather outside the fence that surrounds the building to flaunt their freedom. There is a gothic feel to the scene, as though you have stepped into a horror movie.
Throughout the history of man there has always existed a sort of rule pertaining to retribution for just and unjust acts. For the just came rewards, and for the unjust came punishments. This has been a law as old as time. One philosophy about the treatment of the unjust is most controversial in modern time and throughout our history; which is is the ethical decision of a death penalty. This controversial issue of punishment by death has been going on for centuries. It dates back to as early as 399 B.C.E., to when Socrates was forced to drink hemlock for his “corruption of the youth” and “impiety”.
The death penalty is the lawful killing of a human being after a trial by
...s of society thus inhibiting us from committing more crimes. John Lamperti said, “If executions protected innocent lives through deterrence, which would weigh in the balance against capital punishment's heavy social costs. But despite years of trying, this benefit has not been shown to exist; the only proven effects of capital punishment are its liabilities.”9
America’s million dollar question is should capital punishment be allowed? Americans have been blindsided with decisions about the death penalty; in the past many have agreed with the punishment due to lack of knowledge on the issue. Today, information on capital punishment is everywhere. I agreed with most of America on the issue; it should be allowed because of its many beneficial reasons. I believe in “just desert,” that is criminals should receive the same punishment that they used against their victims. If you murder someone intentionally you should receive the death penalty. Finally, society feels relief as the capital punishment protects their own human dignity that are at risk if the accused remains alive; society dignity fails if they don’t punish the accused for they become participators of the crime. Therefore, the occurrence of anarchy is avoided with this punishment as it will serve as deterrence as well. Some philosophers such as Kant and Pojman have agreed with my view while others like Marshall and Bedau have challenged it.
Capital punishment, a legal justice operation practiced in the United States. Capital punishment is a method used to penalize criminals who have committed devious crimes with death. Dated back to the Eighteenth Century, the death penalty has been part of major countries and is still practiced to this day. Hanging, electrocution, lethal injection and other techniques are used to end the life of those who are condemned. Capital punishment is not an effective form of punishment and should be terminated. The death penalty has been analyzed to measure the connection between executions and crime rates in order to discover if capital punishment deter crimes. No proof has been provided to show that executions lower crime rates. In addition, one’s Eighth
Capital punishment is the punishment of death for a crime given by the state. It is used for a variety of crimes such as murder, drug trafficking and treason. Many countries also have the death penalty for sexual crimes such as rape, incest and adultery. The lethal injection, the electric chair, hanging and stoning are all methods of execution used throughout the world. Capital punishment has been around since ancient times; it was used in ancient Rome, and one of the most famous people to be crucified was Jesus Christ. Capital punishment is now illegal in many countries, like the United Kingdom, France and Germany, but it is also legal in many other countries such as China and the USA. There is a large debate on whether or not capital punishment should be illegal all over the world as everyone has a different opinion on it. In this essay, I will state arguments for and against the death penalty, as well as my own opinion: capital punishment should be illegal everywhere.