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morality of capital Punishment
morality of capital Punishment
ethics in capital punishment
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The Death Penalty as a Cruel Punishment or Effective Deterrent In the United States, a murder occurs every twenty-four minutes. This rate is increasing yearly. Currently there are more than 3,000 inmates on death row. Since 1977, there have been more then 624 executions. As of right now there are thirty-eight states including the U.S. military that use the death penalty. Although the majority of the United States participates in this form of punishment, it is still a controversial issue in our society. The current form of execution used in most states is lethal injection. Lethal injection must be an effective form of punishment if only twelve states do not use it. Apparently, in a recent pole, 86 percent of people agreed with the death penalty in all cases so the people believe that its right (www.infoplease.lycos.com). Besides the lethal injection, there are three other forms. The only other form in use today, is the electric chair, which is only used by three states. All of the other forms of execution: hanging, firing squad, and the gas chamber, have been replaced by the lethal injection. Presently, the state of Connecticut has seven men on death row since September of 1999. No one has been executed since 1960 though. The problems that arise from capital punishment are the financial and moral issues. The morality issue is the biggest controversy surrounding the death penalty. Many people believe that “two wrongs do not make a right.” This statement may be true for some, but they are not in the situation of the families of the victims. Executing the criminal might be the only way that the family would feel better about the whole situation. The church agrees with the executing criminals in only the mo... ... middle of paper ... ... death penalty is a very effective form of punishment. Not only does it deter future crime, but it also prevents convicted criminals from committing crimes again. I feel safe that it is tough to be wrongly but to death because only 12 people have been falsely convicted in 1999 (www.ethics.acusd.edu). When you take into consideration how many people were convicted last year, I trust the system. Bibliography: Work Cited Clay, William L. To Kill or Not To Kill. California: The Borgo Press, 1990. Conrad, John P., and Ernest van den Haag. The Death Penalty: A Debate. New York: Plenum Press, 1983. Guernsey, JoAnn Bren. Should We Have Capital Punishment? Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 1994. Http://www.prodeathpenalty.com Http://ethics.acusd.edu/death_penalty.html Http://law.about.com.newsissues/law/msub13.htm
Special attention will be given to the topics of deterrence, the families of the victims, and the increased population that has been occurring within our prisons. Any possible objections will also be assessed, including criticism regarding the monetary value of the use of the death penalty and opposition to this practice due to its characteristics, which some identify as hypocritical and inhumane. My goal in arguing for the moral justifiability of capital punishment is not to use this practice extensively, but rather to reduce the use to a minimum and use it only when necessary. Above all else, capital punishment should be morally justified in extreme situations because it has a deterrent effect. Many criminals seem to be threatened more by the thought of death rather than a long-term prison sentence.
This paper will examine the pros and cons of the death penalty. Is it a deterrent or is that a myth. Does it give the family of the victim peace or does it cause them to suffer waiting for appeal after appeal. What are the forms of execution and any evidence of them being cruel and usual punishment. Is the death penalty fair if there are glaring, disparities in sentencing depending on geographic location and the color of the offender and victim’s skin?
1188 people have been executed in the United States between the years of 1977 and 2009.[1] Most death penalty cases involve the execution of murders.[2] However, capital punishment can be applied to other crimes such as espionage and treason.[3]
Unfortunately, this is not a scene in a horror flick; these are the surroundings of an actual prison execution. As early as the founding of the United States, capital punishment has been a controversial and hotly debated public issue. The three most common forms of death penalties currently used in the United States are the gas chamber, electrocution, and lethal injection. The firing squad is an option in Idaho, Oklahoma, and Utah; and death by hanging still remains an option in New Hampshire and Washington state.
that offenders will not commit these crimes again. The United States should use the death penalty because it is economical and continues to be a deterrent for potential offenders.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, the most common method of execution among states with the death penalty is lethal injection, which is authorized by 35 states, as well as the U.S. Military and the U.S. Government. Smaller numbers of states continue to use methods such as electrocution, gas chambers, hanging, and even firing squads
There are wide and divergent opinions on the United States’ Supreme Court decisions on capital punishment. While proponents of capital punishment allege that it can be applied as with the existence of sufficient due process, others contend that human life is irreplaceable and that “every person has the right to have their life respected” (Oppenheim, “Capital Punishment in the United States”). While capital punishment has phased in and out of the United States’ criminal justice system in the past few decades, current trends seem to fall out of favor with the death penalty. As Snell indicates, by yearend of 2011, there were 3,082 inmates held across 35 states and the Federal Bureau of Prisons under the death sentence, where 9 states executed 43 inmates in both 2011 and 2012 (“Capital Punishment, 2011 – Statistical Tables”). In order to gain a deeper understanding and enhanced projection of the death penalty development, it is prudent to first examining historical accounts of cases that have been decided in favor or against the capital punishment in the United States.
This essay will discuss the various views regarding the death penalty and its current status in the United States. It can be said that almost all of us are familiar with the saying “An eye for an eye” and for most people that is how the death penalty is viewed. In most people’s eyes, if a person is convicted without a doubt of murdering someone, it is believed that he/she should pay for that crime with their own life. However, there are some people who believe that enforcing the death penalty makes society look just as guilty as the convicted. Still, the death penalty diminishes the possibility of a convicted murderer to achieve the freedom needed to commit a crime again; it can also be seen as a violation of the convicted person’s rights going against the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Ethics and morality are the founding reasons for both supporting and opposing the death penalty, leading to the highly contentious nature of the debate. When heinous crimes are com...
In the United States, lethal injection began in 1982 and is legal in thirty seven of the thirty eight states that have the death penalty (Litton 2004). The first state to legalize and use the death penalty was in Texas (Romanelli 2011). Some people believe the death penalty is a violation of the eighth amendment which states “excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel or unusual punishments inflicted.” (U.S. Constitution. Amend VIII). From the time period of 2001-2006, 189 of the 191 executions that happened were by lethal injection (Litton 2004). The reason lethal injection was chosen by some states is because it is cheaper and more humane. The person who is being executed is allowed to have family or friends watch their death. Visitors are never turned away without the warden’s say (California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation 2013). The process of lethal injection is fairly short (Litton 2004). When a person is killed by the electric chair they can feel the pain until they die, but when the lethal injection process is used they cannot feel it, therefore, it is more humane. Although there are downfalls, lethal injection is the most ethical and humane for of capital punishment.
Capital punishment is a difficult subject for a lot of people because many question whether or not it is ethical to kill a convicted criminal. In order to critically analyze whether or not it is ethical, I will look at the issue using a utilitarianism approach because in order to get a good grasp of this topic we need to look at how the decision will impact us in the future. The utilitarianism approach will help us to examine this issue and see what some of the consequences are with this topic of capital punishment. For years, capital punishment has been used against criminals and continues to be used today, but lately this type of punishment has come into question because of the ethical question.
Americans have argued over the death penalty since the early days of our country. In the United States, only 38 states have capital punishment statutes. As of year ended in 1999, in Texas, the state had executed 496 prisoners since 1930. Laws in the United States have changed drastically in regards to capital punishment. An example of this would be the years from 1968 to 1977 due to the nearly 10 year moratorium.
Capital punishment is a topic constantly debated because of moral principles and effects on society. Many would argue that the possibility of death prevents crime. Others would argue that execution is unjust. Flamehorse’s article, "5 Arguments For and Against the Death Penalty,” provides common reasons held by society with a short analysis. Other articles such as“4 Out Of 5 Texas Dentists Advocate The Death Penalty,” produced by TheOnion, promotes capital punishment through a satirical metaphor. The reasons may be factual or morally based because society operates on these principles. Once the reasons are evaluated, it may be possible to develop a stance throughout the paper. This will contribute to various hypothetical examples and the course of action to handle said example. However, individual interpretation is subjective meaning that everyone has a different idea in mind.
When someone is legally convicted of a capital crime, it is possible for their punishment to be execution. The Death Penalty has been a controversial topic for many years. Some believe the act of punishing a criminal by execution is completely inhumane, while others believe it is a necessary practice needed to keep our society safe. In this annotated bibliography, there are six articles that each argue on whether or not the death penalty should be illegalized. Some authors argue that the death penalty should be illegal because it does not act as a deterrent, and it negatively effects the victim’s families. Other scholar’s state that the death penalty should stay legalized because there is an overcrowding in prisons and it saves innocent’s lives. Whether or not the death penalty should be
Secondly, many believe that capital punishment is right because of the justice given to the victim’s family. These family members feel l...