Death Penalty Ethical And Social Issues

The death penalty debate constitutes a contentious issue that has elicited mixed reactions across the global context. While law enforcement systems around the globe and specifically the United States have embraced this approach to punishment of prime offences, civil rights and religious groups have cited ethical and religious issues emanating from the use of this approach. The two groups have considered this issue highly contentious and requiring redress to ensure fairness and conformity to the human rights standards within the global context. The findings by Levinson, Smith, & Young (2014, p.513) noted that while various groups are opposed to the use of death penalty in punishment of capital offenses, the would-be criminals and offenders

According to the findings, the homicide rates exhibited in the New England regions was low compared to that in northern states in the Middle West, which exhibited increased homicides despite the use of capital punishment on the capital offenders. The study pointed out that the occurrence of the homicides despite the use of capital punishment by the courts reveals the depth of social and economic issues that need redress to ensure adequate control of the homicides. Van den Haag & Conrad (2013, p.36) equally pointed out that the key social economic issues that require redress to ensure complete subdue of the homicides include drug use, unemployment rates, reinforcement of socially acceptable behaviors through institutions and religious approaches, and providing rehabilitation services for the offenders. According to the study, such issues could have a transformative impact on the offenders compared to the use of capital punishment in tackling the

According to the duo, any teenagers suffer from environmental vulnerability to crimes. This implies that their environments have an impact by inducing crime. Such instances include the use of drugs, which impairs cognitive reasoning leading to the engagement of such crimes. The study by Van den Haag & Conrad (2013, p.36) further reinforced the use of moral values to reduce crime levels and as such lead to decreased capital offenses. According to the study, the government and the law enforcement hold the key responsibility of imparting quality and moral values on the citizens. The police need to engage in activities that eliminate the various crime triggers in the cities hence making the youths least susceptible to commitment of the capital offences. As argued by Bishop & Osler (2016, p.113), the individuals engaging in capital offenses often commence from the small offences and slowly graduate to the capital offenses due to the increased impacts and crime triggers in their environments. Adoption of the death penalty does not eliminate the crime triggers, rather, it encourages the spread of the criminal activities and the remaining gangs attempt to rise up and take the position of the prosecuted