The public policy I will be discussing is the death penalty. What is a death penalty? The death penalty, also known as capital punishment or execution, is the sentence of death imposed by courts as punishment for a crime. People who receive the death penalty typically are convicted of murder and similar capital crimes like aggravated murder or felony murder. State legislatures establish the death penalty and set forth the offenses that may be punished by death. Problem Definition and Analysis Individuals who receive the death penalty usually have committed capital crimes or murders. Legislators set the death penalty in place so criminals can be punished by death. In 1976, the death penalty was …show more content…
The death penalty may be replaced by imprisonment for a lifetime without the possibility of ever getting out. Another option of execution is the lethal injection. With the legal injection, you are injected with a drug that causes you to go into cardiac arrest and die. Policy Decision Implications The Pharmacies did not want to sell the prisons the drug they administered for lethal injection. Some pharmacies felt it was inhumane to inject the prisoners with the medication to take their life. At one time it was hard to get the legal injection drug due to manufactures not selling it to the prisons. This affects tax payers, doctors and pharmaceutical manufactures. Measuring Alternatives There aren’t too many realistic alternatives for the death penalty. The alternative for the death penalty must be fair and enforceable. When a murder is committed it should receive the most severe punishment. Ethical Implications Religious groups are affected by the death penalty. These particular groups feel a life should not be taken even if the person took someone’s life. They feel the higher power should be the judge on whether you live or die. Desirable