...Is the Death Penalty Ethical? It is clear in our society that violent crimes, such as murder, should carry some sort of stiffer punishment than that of other, lesser crimes. What is not clear is what that punishment should be. One punishment that is a constant source of debate is the death penalty. In this paper, I will examine whether the death penalty is or is not ethical. Both sides of the issue will be explained, through examination of various aspects of it, which include religious and financial considerations, whether the death penalty is a deterrent or not, and whether or not it can be regarded as justice. I submit that the death penalty is an ethical and equitable punishment for murderers, and should be used throughout our country. The seemingly greatest amount of debate comes from a religious standpoint. Depending on whose interpretation one hears, the Bible is for or against capital punishment. Verses from The Bible are used by both sides of the argument to support their own beliefs. The United States is made up of numerous different religious cultures. A sample of a few official policies from some denominations’ web sites shows an almost fifty-fifty split for and against. For example, the Assemblies of God (USA) do not take a stance for or against the death penalty. The same is true for the Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints, who say that it should be left to “…the prescribed processes of civil law.”(November 28, 2011). The...
Words: 2461 - Pages: 10
...On February 11, 2003, the eighth circuit court of appeals in St. Louis ruled that Arkansas official could force prisoners on a death penalty to take antipsychotic drugs to s make them sane enough for execution. Supreme Court in the United States prohibits insane prisoners to execution. Therefore, unless Charles Laverne singleton was sane, he was not supposed for infliction. Charles was executed for felony capital but he became insane while in jail. The courts question was what constitutes true sanity? Nevertheless, the question would be is death penalty moral ethical? In philosophical stand of view, medicine is not supposed to heal sick people, not to prepare them for infliction. If at all there is, any law that directs doctors to treat people so that the state can execute them is an unethical law (Jones, 2014). To begin with, existence of death penalty in United States, as well as, any other society raises questions. This argument sets up to examine the ethics of capital punishment.in real sense capital punishment sets ultimate warning against all...
Words: 632 - Pages: 3
...human beings, we are often faced with ethical dilemmas that we consider wrong according to our own code of ethics. No one person is right or wrong for having an opinion. Our own personal code of ethics helps us shape the people we are today and defines our personality. From the time we are able to comprehend what death and murder was, we knew and understood that it was morally wrong and was stated so in the Bible. We ask ourselves this question: “Do any of us have the right to determine who gets the death penalty?” Many are against the death penalty, some are for it, it all depends what side fits their code of personal ethics. Personally, I am against it. The Bible states that “Thou shall not kill,” and I take that literally, no matter what the situation or circumstance. As early as 1700 BC was the first known death penalty laws. The Code of Hammurabi was a legal document from ancient Babylonia. Twenty-five crimes were punishable by death. Some of these crimes included adultery and helping slaves escape. Murder was not considered a punishable crime at this point. 1608 was when murder became a serious enough crime to get the death penalty. The Founding Fathers had included provisions to the Constitution including the Fifth and the Eighth Amendment, and the basic principles of government executions remained allowable under each separate state and federal governments. Thomas Jefferson attempted to change Virginia’s death penalty laws so that murder and treason were...
Words: 1266 - Pages: 6
...leaders that failed to see the damage their biases and self-centeredness was causing, it is possible that not nearly as many convicts would be facing the horrors of death row in America today. The problem is that within our justice system today, discrimination and prejudices continue to destroy many lives. Although in our modern society of perceived acceptance and toleration, people want to believe discrimination is a problem of the past, this is sadly not the situation. Subtle, but potent prejudices towards race and social class continue to plague and disease the upholding of justice in our society today. Although statistics can be manipulated to serve a personal agenda, the issue of racial discrimination should not...
Words: 1030 - Pages: 5
...society is the use of capital punishment, informally known as the death penalty. There are two main sides to this topic; some people want to abolish the death penalty, while others want to continue or even increase its use. The people that want to abolish the death penalty view it as unconstitutional, as they see it as “cruel and unusual;” while others view the death penalty as an appropriate punishment that fits the horrendous crime of murder. The death penalty has been shown to have a deterrent effect on crime, which is why the U.S.A and other nations worldwide should continue the use of capital punishment (Muhlhausen). HISTORY The death penalty has been around since the start of time. It is...
Words: 1700 - Pages: 7
...The ethical topic that I have chosen is capital punishment or the death penalty. Death penalty is whereby a state through its judiciary system gives a court punishment for an offence as death. That person would be legally killed within a set period of time. This is an ethical question in that some people feel that death penalty is wrong, while others feel that it is justifiable in some cases. This is a great debate in most countries and the debate includes a lot of civic and religious groups. In some cases the discretion to give a death penalty is vested in a few people in the judiciary system. Looking at the issue of death penalty, there are varied reasons that support the penalty as well as some reasons that seem to suggest that death penalty is bad. In many countries the constitution tells whether or not the death penalty should be upheld in the country. Overberg (n.d) says that about 75% of the people in the United States indicated that they favour death penalty. The same author says that the Catholic Bishops and Jews are against the penalty. The contrasting thing is that in 1966, according to this same author only half the population in USA approved of the death penalty. This shift in number of people favouring the death penalty is suggested to come due to the increased number of murders and violent crimes. So some people believe that the death penalty would deter would be violent offenders to shun violence as the would fear the death penalty. It is reported that the USA...
Words: 1321 - Pages: 6
...THE DEATH PENALTY IS CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT PHI 103: INFORMAL LOGIC JUNE 2, 2012 THE DEATH PENALTY IS CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT In the United States there are currently 33 states that have the death penalty as a form of punishment. The legal system in the U.S. is imperfect resulting in many innocent people’s convictions of death. There have been several exonerations of innocent people on death row. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, “From 1973-1999 there was an average of 3 exonerations per year. From 2000-2011, there has been an average of 5 exonerations per year” (Death Penalty Information Organization, pg 2 para 3). Because of the imperfections of the legal system there are thousands of people as well as politicians that believe the death penalty should be abolished in the the United States, I am one of the people that are against the death penalty but for more reasons other than just the imperfections of the legal system. The other reasons the death penalty should be abolished are more based on the ethical issues, people’s rights to life, and the economic issues associated with the death penalty. Because of all the exonerations in the past three or four decades this form of justice should be abolished, it is not applies fairly and just and it makes me wonder how many people were actually put to death that were innocent. Fact is that in the 33 states that use the death penalty as a form of punishment do not all use the same...
Words: 1804 - Pages: 8
...Robbins, and cast include Susan Sarandon (Sister Helen Prejan) and Sean Penn (Mathew Poncelet). Dead man walking follows an epic experience of a nun, Sister Prejan, with a convicted murderer and rapist, Mathew Poncelet. The movie debates many complex political, religious and ethical issues concerning capital punishment, going through the experience and knowledge of the movie cast. Yet, it intelligently criticizes the law of capital punishment and describes it as an immoral and injustice act of murder. furthermore, Mathew Poncelet who faces death penalty is constantly seen to be facing some form of torture and denial from the society; his life becomes an instrument of the political world while he constantly tries to save himself but fails; however, Mathew’s death brilliantly questions the legitimacy of the death penalty law. The movie criticizes the injustice role of the government on the death penalty law, describing it as propaganda by the government to raise support in expense of a human being’s life. This is particularly evident in the start of the movie, when the governor is shown speaking to supporters and ordering the death of Mathew Poncelet. Although Mathew receives the news of his death, we see him fighting for his life in courts. In the pardon board scene, which is described as being appointees of the governor with enormous power, shown mostly in close up shots, seemed not interested in considering Mathew’s life in anyway; none of the appointees show any gesture...
Words: 1385 - Pages: 6
...committed even in broad daylight. In consideration of the rising criminality in all parts of the country, the revival of death penalty is being given a serious thought. The rationale behind death penalty, is retribution. The reasoning behind it is that individuals who have committed a capital crime should receive similar punishment that equals their crime. Tracing the historical development of the death penalty, it is evident, that with time, being put to death became a common form of punishment that ensures that those who had committed crimes that were not forgivable by the society received punishment equal to the crime. The death penalty is deeply rooted in justice as articulated by natural law, however goes against the same law. According to the natural rights theory, every human being has the right to lice and should not be denied this right, either by the government, or any other manmade law. However, the death penalty is used as a form of punishing those who have committed crimes against natural law, such as first degree murder. Death penalty has been considered to be one of the most cruel and unusual punishments for sentencing criminals who have been found guilty of heinous crime, as it requires the law enforcement officers to execute the offender for his punishment. It has a lot of ethical and religious matters tied to it. There are many who support death penalty while others oppose it. From a Christian standpoint it is our moral duty to follow the commandment "thou shall not...
Words: 1655 - Pages: 7
...Essay opposing death sentence Student details Institutional affiliations Introduction There has been an argument that lifting amnesty on miscreants and vagabonds is barbaric and retrogressive. The same argument is seen on the death penalty, and it has been a controversial issue not only in the USA but also in the rest part of the world. The death sentence has been a verdict to individuals who have committed a capital offence. However, this is not considerably the best way to punish the guilty. It is necessary some sympathy be expressed to the guilty party since they could at one point in life decide to change for the better. The death sentence is not the noblest way to counter violence. In this case, it would appear as if it is tat for tat, or to repay violence wit violence. Several civil rights and religious groups have been against death sentence claiming that there is no outright prove that the convict is guilty or not. What if the accused is just innocent and is just accused falsely? There are several ethical downsides of the death sentence and the reasons it should be abolished or not used at all. Several religious and civil rights activists haven't found it easy to negotiate about this penalty. There is a lot of both religious and ethical concerns about the issue that have prompted different groups to oppose staunchly this sentence. Subjecting a person to a death penalty is unconstitutional. The main reason has the fact that the individual living also has his right...
Words: 1251 - Pages: 6
...The Death Penalty: Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right Denise Seymour Informal Logic: PHI103 Russell Tompkins April 22, 2013 The Death Penalty: Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right Some crimes that a person may experience in their lifetime are too horrible to put into words. How can one be punished for a crime so unthinkable? Capital punishment could be one way, but how ethical is it really? The first capital punishment recorded on our land was in 1608. The hanging of George Kendall in Virginia’s Jamestown colony was for the offence of “spying for the Spanish.” In the following four centuries people will killed for crimes such as murder, rape, theft, witch craft, and many others (Bedau, Cassell, 2004). Innocent people are killed by capital punishment proving the age old saying “two wrongs do not make a right;” if a person murders another person that person should suffer the punishment of life imprisonment with no chance of parole and not be given an easy way out. Over the last century 139 countries have abolished execution for any crime starting in the 1940’s. The only eight countries had abolished capital punishment and six of those countries were in South and Central America (Sangiorgio, 2011). Abolishing capital punishment really took flight in the 1960’s and over the past two decades and least one country a year has abolished it leaving 58 retentionist countries often practicing capital punishment (Sangiorgio, 2011). In the mid-1990s, an average of 40 countries...
Words: 1996 - Pages: 8
...The Death Penalty and its Ethical Permissibility Palestine Fox Kaplan University Abstract The death penalty has been used for centuries to punish criminals for heinous crimes, in spite of the fact that arguments concerning the death penalty, its concepts of retribution, deterrence and just punishments have been disagreed upon. The question at hand is whether or not the death penalty is permissible and if so under what circumstances, which has long been a heated debate for centuries. The ethical issues surrounding the death penalty include the morality of this form of punishment and whether or not it is morally right to deprive a human being of life. This paper will discuss the background of the death penalty, its permissibility under the law and how the death penalty would be viewed by the ethical philosophies and various religions. The Death Penalty and its Permissibility Introduction of the Death Penalty The death penalty or capital punishment is the practice of executing someone as a form of punishment for a heinous or specific crime following a proper legal trial. The death penalty is usually a punishment sentenced for serious types of murders, in some countries treason, types of fraud, adultery and rape, which are capital crimes (Capital Punishment, 2013). The death penalty was introduced as early as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammaurabi of Babylon, who codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes. In the Seventh Century B.C. Athens...
Words: 4062 - Pages: 17
...Rose March 20, 2009 All Holy Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible '95 unless otherwise noted. Capital punishment is an issue that affects the United States in many ways, and even to a larger extent the world. Many industrialized nations have forgone capital punishment as a tool in their criminal justice system. In the United States, 38 states still have provisions in their penal code that allow capital punishment in various forms, in various circumstances and with various populations. Capital punishment--death penalty--is argued by both sides of the issue for diverse reasons. The death penalty may be opposed by some by stating it is considered cruel and unusual punishment (which is in violation to our Constitution). Others would argue that because our legal system is not perfect we should not risk putting to death someone who may be innocent. On the reverse side, the two most common reasons to support the death penalty would be first, it is a just punishment and acts as a deterrent for further crimes that meet that nature. Still others argue the "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" argument; which is biblically based but certainly out of context in this argument. An important question is "where might a Christian come down on this issue?" The answer is not as easy as one might expect. This pastor will attempt to answer that very question using The Sermon on the Mount, and additionally the texts, Ethics, Choosing The Good and evangelical ethics...
Words: 2882 - Pages: 12
...States of America, death penalty has been used as far back as the eighteenth century B.C. This was under the rule of King Hammaurabi of Babylon ruled, who codified the death penalty for twenty-five different types of crimes. Within the US, there are 32 states who employ death penalty, and only 18 who don’t. Death penalty has been an ordinary way to deal with extreme criminals in order to end their crimes, for a longer time. Capital punishment has for long been a component of the government. In American history, there have been numerous methods of capital punishment. Everything from electrocution, hanging, firing squad to beheading, and even gas chambers. Capital punishment has always been a brutal and unnatural thing. Luckily, lethal injection is what most states use today. They have done since post-Gregg (Gregg v. Georgia), but electrocution, gas chambers and hanging are still practiced as well. One large motive for supporting capital punishment is economy. It is much cheaper to have someone executed than having him or her imprisoned. This is, though, extraordinarily inhuman. What about the family and friends of the executed? This is where the ethical aspect begins to play a role. The government needs to think about whether this should be accepted as being ethically correct. Because of the ethical aspects, capital punishment is one of the few massively discussed subjects in American politics. In the southern states, especially in Texas, death penalty has been the most...
Words: 759 - Pages: 4
...Introduction Nowadays, the death penalty debate is a heated issue in many countries, especially in the United States. The death penalty or the capital punishment is a sentence imposed by the law, which remove the legal life of the person who commit or is suspected of having committed a serious crime. The history of death penalty in the U.S is long and ruthless and the first recorded execution was in 1608. There are many kinds of death penalty which have been used in US such as shooting, electric chair, hanging, lethal injection. Some people believe that it is never ethical and justifiable to carry out the death penalty as means of punishment by the law. Nowadays, approximately 2/3 of all countries have banned the death penalty included 18 states of the United States. Most executions take place in the Southern states, according to this source, until 2008, 930 out of 1136 executions took place there, with Texas having carried out 422 (The pros and cons of the death penalty in the USA, n.d). This research will indicate whether the death penalty in the U.S should be abolished. Body Paragraph Reasons for the abolishment of Capital Punishment in the U.S It is possible to argue that the death penalty in the U.S should be eliminated because of inviolable human rights, unjust punishment and faint correlation between executions and crime rates. Firstly, inalienable human-rights are against the death penalty in all over the world because no one can decide who could be...
Words: 1238 - Pages: 5
