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Ethical Issues With Capital Punishment

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Capital punishment is the ultimate penalty one can pay for their crimes and is a lightning rod for debate. A slight majority of the population of the United States supports the use of capital punishment as a deterrence method, while others argue that the punishment is cruel and unusual. No matter what your opinion is, there is a substantial amount of research that has been conducted both in support of and against capital punishment. This paper will examine the deterrence effect of capital punishment as well as some ethical issues that are associated with the use of capital punishment.
Keywords: Irrevocability, Capital Punishment, Execution, Deterrence
Capital Punishment in the United States of America
Whether or not capital punishment is …show more content…

As of January 2014 there were 3,070 inmates in 35 states awaiting execution (CNN Library, 2014). The discrepancy between the number of states where capital punishment is legal and the number of states that have inmates awaiting death is due to the fact that several states have abolished capital punishment. Connecticut, Maryland and New Mexico have abolished the death penalty (CNN Library, 2014). It is important to note though that those inmates in states where the death penalty has been abolished did not have their sentences commuted to the new law. They remain on death row awaiting execution from their original sentence. Worldwide there is only one other industrialized democracy that utilizes the death penalty as a punishment, that country is …show more content…

321). As stated earlier in this paper, there is evidence to suggest that 1 out every 100 individuals sentenced to death is innocent (Banks, 2013). Some argue that with statistics like that that, even one instance of an irrevocable punishment is morally repugnant enough to prohibit the punishment (Yost, 2011). Once this punishment is carried out, there can be no reversal if the person executed was innocent.
The death penalty has been distributed in a discriminatory manner because African American or poorer defendants are more likely to be executed than equally guilty others, especially when the victim is white (Banks, 2013). While African Americans make up only approximately 10 to 12 percent of the population, they are the overwhelming majority on death row. This has proven to be the case throughout the entire criminal justice

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This disparity perpetuates a cycle of poverty and injustice, as the poor are disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system. The death penalty, imposed primarily on minorities and the poor, epitomizes the ethical failures of the criminal justice system (Equal Justice Initiative, 2023). Despite overwhelming evidence of racial and economic bias, the death penalty remains legal in many jurisdictions, wrongfully taking the lives of individuals who have been denied justice (Equal Justice Initiative, 2023). The arbitrary and discriminatory application of the death penalty undermines the fundamental value of human life and exacerbates systemic inequalities that plague the criminal justice system. In conclusion, the book raises profound ethical questions about the death penalty.

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It also needs to be recognized how it may impact a person or groups day to day lives and decision making in these situations. In keeping with time-tested American traditions, black defendants were 38 percent more likely to be sentenced to die than others who committed similar crimes, according to a study by University of Iowa Law School researchers David Baldus and George Woodworth. Their research team analyzed 667 murders that occurred in Philadelphia from 1983 to 1993. Of the 520 cases involving black defendants, 95 were sentenced to die, while 19 of the 147 non-black defendants received the death penalty. (Clarence, Chicago Tribune,1998).

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However, it’s been argued the cost of capital punishment is more than putting a criminal through maximum sentence – life imprisonment and there is a possibility of making an irreversible mistake of executing an innocent person. (deathpenalty.procon.org, 2016) Therefore, there is a need to further research as to whether capital punishment is a benefit or harm to society. 1.2 Objectives of the

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Capital Punishment Capital punishment is widely debated throughout the United States. The United States government at this time deems capital punishment constitutional. Even though the United States government deems it constitutional, each state has the right to make it legal or illegal within their state. Currently, only thirty-one states institute the death penalty. Pojman’s makes an argument through the utilitarian theory of deterrence justifying the death penalty, I will discuss this argument in more detail a little later.

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This source of important information gives readers both sides of the debate on capital punishment. This article discusses the enhancement of the brutality of punishing unforgettable crime committers. This article also discusses the side views of allowing the death penalty to be inflicted on people who haven't committed the real crime, therefore, being framed. I hope to use this source as evidence for both sides of the argument surrounding justice for capital punishment.

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In recent years, anti-death penalty propagandists have succeeded in stoking the fear that capital punishment is being carelessly meted out. Ironically, Of the 875 prisoners executed in the United States in modern times, not one has been retroactively proved innocent. The benefits of a legal system in which judges and juries have the option of sentencing the cruelest or coldest murderers to death far outweigh the potential risk of executing an innocent person. First and foremost, the death penalty makes it possible for justice to be done to those who commit the worst of all crimes. The execution of a murderer sends a powerful moral message: that the innocent life he took was so precious, and the crime he committed so horrific, that he forfeits

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Deterrence and the Death Penalty: The Views of the Experts. The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (1973-), 87(1), 1. doi:10.2307/1143970 This article was written by Michael L. Radelet and Ronald L. Akers. They both consulted experts on criminology and criminal behaviour to evaluate the effectiveness of the Death Penalty.

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In the wide and complex world of criminal justice, the debate over the death penalty in the United States is a clear sign of the ongoing struggle between the ideas of payback and the importance of

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From the beginning of the foundation of America, men have tried to figure out the correct way to deal with law-opposing criminals. From crucifixion and slavery, to death by firing squad and life sentences, the world has utilized different forms of discipline. The death penalty has formed into the most questionable form of punishment, drawing the most attention from the public eye. This sanction is used to punish criminals for committing the most heinous crimes and offenses. The crimes that obtain the death penalty mostly consist of murder which include murder during a kidnapping, murder for hire, drug-related drive by shooting, and genocide.

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Muhlhausen, David B. "The Death Penalty Deters Murder." The Ethics of Capital Punishment,edited by Christine Watkins, Greenhaven Press, 2011. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints inContext, Microsoft Academic. Spangenberg, Robert L., and Elizabeth R. Walsh.

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Ethical Considerations of the Death Penalty in the United States A problem that is occurring in today’s society is whether or not capital punishment is worth continuing and spreading entirely through the United States. Capital punishment is a lawful infliction of death used as a punishment. Over the years it has varied from each state and which crimes are applicable for this kind of punishment. Currently, there are 31 states where the death penalty has been legalized (CNN 2017).

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The death penalty does not lower crime rates as people say it does. Some experts explain that a person usually murders a victim without thinking about it, murderers kill out of anger. Simultaneously, African American communities are more susceptible to violence due to less amount of economic resources. Consequently, more crimes happen in black communities and black men are at a greater risk of being given the death penalty as punishment for their crimes. When penniless black people are poorly represented in court, they will most likely be executed.

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The controversial question regarding the Death Penalty in the United States is still a topic that calls for attention. The death penalty area is indistinct due to the fact that it involves death, which is an irreversible permanent act. Nevertheless, crime is a ubiquitous problem in the U.S., and finding a solution to reduce and deter the homicide rate is the main objective. However, when it comes to the death penalty, there are two sides to the standpoint. Those who believe it is justice; an eye for an eye, and those who believe that it is inhumane and a form of cruel and unusual punishment.

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Straight A’s on a report card after a long stressful semester. School’s out and now the whole summer is for relaxing, or is it? No, because you totally forgot about that AP summer assignment you picked up before school ended, didn’t you? Now you are going to be putting off the packet of work until last minute where you’re going to stress about not having it done and last minute be rushing to complete it. Piles of work accumulating into the deep pits of your binder and yet there doesn’t seem to be enough time to get to it.

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was out to death by lethal injection and the state department and white house tried to stop the action but the Texas govoner denied him indulgence. n the United States only 18 states that no authorize the death penalty. As the new year hit a more than 3,000 lifers are anticpated to be terminated. After a state votes against Capital punishment the inmates still proceed to lead to the death penalty. In the late 1970's when capital punished was restored, over 1,300 americans have been accomplished.

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