Punishment: Ethical Considerations Of The Death Penalty In The United States

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). 60% of the U.S has legalized the death penalty, indicating that this kind of punishment is highly supported by the public. Death penalty supporters have expressed that the death penalty is needed to reduce the prison population, also bringing peace and closure to

According to the natural law, everyone's lives matter. Despite what crime an individual has committed it is still morally wrong to kill. Innocent people have been executed because of this form of punishment. Levy states, the innocence rate for death row inmates is 4.1%. Similarly, since 1973, there have been 144 people on death row that have been exonerated (Levy 2016). Secondly, this form of punishment does affect the offender's friends and family also when leading up to and during the execution. Putting the offender’s loved ones in the same pain as the victim’s family is morally wrong. Lastly, the flawed system has used discrimination against blacks and Hispanics (Pollock 2011). Some people believe that sentencing someone to death through the Judicial System protects citizens from further harm and restores a sense of morality in communities. But this is not about peace or protection, it is about revenge, unfairness, and inhumanity.The root of this topic being a controversial debate is because this punishment is often times used unfairly. Whether it is executing criminals to later realize that they were innocent the whole time or choosing this punishment based on someone’s skin color, it is very

Revenge, under the disguise of capital punishment, has become seemingly moral because it brings peace and justice to victims and their families. Some believe that capital punishment provides retribution for those affected by criminals, however, the death penalty gives the government the power to have closure for a crime committed against the victims and their loved ones. The death penalty is a legal justification for immorally killing human beings. It is not only unjust, but it has also proven itself, time and time again, to be immoral as it is easily controlled by money and power (Wilson 2011). In the criminal justice system, it is easier to get away with anything, especially the death sentence, being rich and guilty than if you are poor and